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Peace turned her big, brown eyes full upon the occupant of the 
reclining chair in the shade of the lilac bushes. (See page 161 .) 


THE 

LILAC LADY 


The Second of the Peace Greenfield Books 
by 

RUTH ALBERTA BROWN 

Author of 

“At The Little Brown House,** “Tabitha At Ivy Hall,’* 
“Tabitha’ s Glory,** Tabitha’ s Vacation,*’ Etc 


S TO 


Illustrated by 

OLIVER WILLARD SMITH 


THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY 
Chicago Akron, Ohio new york 


•B'glrj 

\_L 


Copyright, 1914 

BY 

The Saalfield Publishing Company 



MAY -2 1914 

//^iT 

Reuses 930 

'♦'"M f 


To 

Edith Haserick McFarlane, 

The Saint Elspeth of My Girlhood, 
This Story is Affectionately Dedicated. 














































































. 

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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I Exploring the New Home 11 

II The Flag Room 33 

III Christmas Day with the Campbells . . 49 

IV A Zealous Little Missionary 83 

V An Unexpected Invitation 109 

VI Peace’s Spring Vacation 131 

VII A Voice from the Lilac Bushes 155 

VIII A Picnic in the Enchanted Garden . . . 175 

IX Giuseppe Nicoli and the Monkey 191 

X The Last Day of School 207 

XI Peace Finds New Playmates 227 

XII A Little Child Shall Lead Them 247 

XIII Children’s Day at Hill Street Church 259 

XIV How the Fourth of July Money was 

Spent 271 

XV Peace Gives the Lilac Lady an Idea. . 289 

XVI The Lilac Lady Falls Asleep 305 







ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Peace turned her big, brown eyes full upon 
the occupant of the reclining chair in the 
shade of the lilac bushes Frontispiece v* 

“ Do you s’pose they have begun tableau- 
ing V’ asked Allee, after what seemed an 
eternity of listening 78 

“ I’ll be the most unmissionary person you 
ever knew — yes, I’ll be a reg’lar heathen 
if you’ll just speak to me !” 160 

She found him seated by her desk, chuckling 
over the volume she had given Peace 232 






V 

























p 





















THE LILAC LADY 


CHAPTER I 

EXPLORING THE NEW HOME 

Two days after the night of the memorable 
surprise party in the little brown house, the place 
stood dismantled and deserted under the naked, 
shivering trees, good-byes had been spoken, and 
the six smiling sisters had driven away from their 
Parker home amid much fluttering of handker- 
chiefs and waving of hands. Everyone was sorry 
to see them go, yet all rejoiced in the great good 
fortune which had befallen the little orphan 
brood. Even after the Judge's carriage, which 
was to take them to the station, disappeared 
around the bend of the creek road, the enthu- 
siastic crowd of friends and neighbors clustered 
about the sagging gate continued to shout their 
joking warnings and happy wishes upon the 
crisp, frosty, morning air. 

“ There," breathed Peace, grinning from ear 
to ear, as she slowly unwound from the corkscrew 
twist she had assumed in her attempt to catch 
11 


12 


THE LILAC LADY 


the last glimpse of the old home. “ They’re all 
out of sight now. I can’t even see Hec Abbott 
any longer up in the tree with his dirty handker- 
chief. Oh, Mr. Judge, I forgot you were our 
coachman this morning, but his handkerchief is 
awful dirty! It always is. I guess his mother 
doesn’t chase him up like Gail does us with clean 
ones. Faith Greenfield, what do you mean by 
kicking me like that? Ain’t there room enough 
on that back seat for your big feet ? ” 

“ Little girls should be heard and not seen,” 
quoted Cherry with her most sanctimonious air, 
noting the gathering frown on the older sister’s 
face, and not quite understanding what had gone 
amiss. 

“ Yes, that’s just what Peace believes, too,” 
cried Hope with her happy, contagious laugh in 
which Gail and the Judge and even Faith joined, 
making the sharp air ring with their hilarity. 

“ Guess this ride must make you feel ticklish, 
too,” suggested Peace, looking over her shoulder 
with a comical, self-complacent air at the crowded 
rear seat of the carryall. i ‘ I ’xpected to see some 
of you bawling about now — ” 

“ Bawling ! ” echoed the girls in genuine sur- 
prise, while the old Judge chuckled to himself. 
“ What for ? ” 

“ ’Cause we’ve left Parker for good and all. 
We’re never going to live there any more.” 

“ But we shall visit there often. Grandpa said 


THE LILAC LADY 


13 


so,” cried Hope, warmly. “ It isn’t as if we were 
bound for the poor-farm or some dreadful orphan 
home. We might have reason to cry then; but as 
it is, we’re going to Martindale to live in a splen- 
did great house with splendid, lovely people ; and 
I can’t help wanting to jump up and shout for 
gladness, even though we do love Parker and all 
the people there who have been so good to us — ” 
“ Good for you, Miss Hope! Hip, hip, hur- 
rah!” broke in the Judge, flapping the reins 
wildly as he doffed his hat and cheered heartily. 
“That’s the proper spirit! We Parkerites don’t 
expect you to break your hearts because you are 
going to a new home; we’d think it very queer 
indeed if you did. But we are glad to know this 
old town holds a tender spot in your memories. 
We shall miss you more than you will us, which 
is only natural; but as Hope says, you will be 
often among us as visitors, even though the little 
brown house will never be home to you again. 
Doctor and Mrs. Campbell have not only opened 
the door of their big house to you, but also the 
door of their hearts. Go in and take possession. 
You can make them the happiest people on earth 
if you want to — and I know you do. They in- 
tended to drive over after you this morning, but 
we villagers said no. They ought to be in Martin- 
dale to greet you, and we certainly deserved the 
privilege of escorting you to — ” 

“ Ain’t it nice to be pop’lar ? ” sighed Peace 


14 


THE LILAC LADY 


in ecstasy. “We’re all bones of condescension to- 
day — now what are you laughing at ? ” 

“ Oh, we’ve reached the station already, ” 
chirped Allee with a suddenness which made 
everyone jump. 

“ And if there isn’t Mr. Strong ! ” cried the 
older girls in astonishment. “ How did you ever 
get here ahead of us ? We left you sitting on 
Peace’s gate-post.” 

“ He sneaked,” Peace declared without giving 
him a chance for reply. “ He can sneak in any- 
where. Oh, I didn’t mean that as a complimemp, 
Mr. Preacher. You know I didn’t ! But you 
truly go so like a cat that people never know 
when you will jump out at them. Where is Els- 
peth — I mean Pet — I mean — Oh, there she is in 
the station house, and Miss Truesdale and Miss 
Dunbar and Dr. Bainbridge ! We’re much obliged 
that so many of you have come down to make sure 
we left town. Let me get out of here, Judge ! 
I want to kiss Glen again.” Scrambling excit- 
edly out of her seat beside the dignified driver, 
she was over the wheels before he could stop 
her, and into the arms of the waiting friends. 

None of the orphan sisters had expected such 
a glorious send-off — nor, indeed, had the Parker 
friends planned it beforehand. It was just one 
of those acts of kindness born of the impulse of 
the moment and made possible because of a short- 
cut to the station and the grocer’s wagon which 


THE LILAC LADY 


15 


stood hitched in front of Mr. Hartman’s door. 
But the sight of the little group of neighbors on 
the station platform was very gratifying to every 
one of the youthful Greenfields, and each pro- 
ceeded to show her pleasure in her own charac- 
teristic way. This second farewell-taking was 
very brief, however, for down the tracks came the 
puffing train, stopping at the narrow platform 
only long enough for the laughing, chattering 
girls to climb aboard, before it glided away again, 
with Peace’s shrill protests trailing off into si- 
lence: “ I don’t see why we have to take the 
train when it is such a teeny short ride. I’d 
rather go by street-car. I didn’t kiss Elspeth 
but once, and the J udge looked as if he was dying 
for another — ” 

Silently, soberly, the gay little company at the 
railroad station dispersed to their various homes ; 
but fortunately for the band of inexperienced 
travellers aboard the flying train, there was no 
time for serious thought, sx> brief was their jour- 
ney. Scarcely were they settled with their hand- 
bags and grips when the brakeman threw open 
the door and strode down the aisle, bawling 
loudly, “ Martindale, Martindale! Our next stop 
is Martindale Union Depot!” And before they 
could realize what was happening, the porter had 
bundled them off in the great, dark, noisy station- 
yard, filled with throngs of excited, hurrying peo- 
ple passing in and out of the heavy iron gates. 


16 


THE LILAC LADY 


Caught in the jam, there was a moment of 
breathless bewilderment; a frantic disentangling 
of themselves from the pushing, shoving crowd; 
a hurried, frightened survey of the sea of unfa- 
miliar faces around them, and then straight 
into the arms of the smiling college President the 
anxious sextette walked. 

“ Well, well, well! ” he cried with boyish eager- 
ness, trying to gather them all in one embrace. 
“ Here you are at last! I’ve waited one solid 
hour for this train. Those Parker people tried 
to tell me it was my place to stand in the door- 
way over at the house and welcome you there, 
but blessed if I could wait ! Neither could Grand- 
ma. I thought I had stolen away without any- 
one seeing me, but before I had reached the car- 
tracks, there she was right at my heels. Here, 
mother, are your — own! ” 

No welcome from the doorsteps of the great 
house could have warmed and thrilled those six 
hearts as did the husky, tremulous words of 
greeting in the dim, smoky station amid the 
clanging engines and shouted orders of trainmen. 
Home! Ah, what a glorious feeling of posses- 
sion! The tears which had not come at thought 
of leaving the old home now welled up in the blue 
eyes and in the brown, but they were tears of joy 
and thanksgiving. 

“ I knew someone would do some bawling be- 
fore we got through with this,” sniffed Peace, 


THE LILAC LADY 


17 


searching in vain for the handkerchief which was 
never to be found in her pocket, and finally wip- 
ing her eyes on the august President ’s coat-sleeve. 
“ Let’s go home now. I want to see what it’s 
like. You didn’t bring the carriage, did you? 
It’s just as well, I guess, for I s’pose we’ll have 
lots of rides anyway. Only I wanted to see if 
the horses looked anything like Black Prince. Is 
this our car? Oak Street — I’ll remember that; 
I may want to do some travelling all by myself 
some day. If you’ve got ten rooms in your house, 
how many are you going to turn over to us? For 
our very own, I mean. Three in a room makes 
things awfully crowded if the rooms are as teeny 
as they were in our house in Parker. ’Tisn’t so 
bad in winter, hut in summer we nearly roast to 
death nights. Do you have much comp’ny, and 
will we have to give up our rooms to them all the 
time? I forgot to ask you about these things be- 
fore we said we’d come.” 

‘ 1 Peace ! ’ ’ reproved Gail in an undertone, try- 
ing to check the flow of questions and information 
pouring so rapidly from the lively tongue. “ Don’t 
talk all the time. Give grandpa a chance to say 
a few words.” 

“ Yes, I will,” responded the child with angelic 
sweetness, in such loud tones that she could be 
heard all over the car. “ I’m waiting for him to 
say a few words now. How about it, grandpa? 


2 


18 


THE LILAC LADY 


Shall we each have a room or must we double up 
or thribble — ” 

“ Peace! 99 called Allee in wild excitement, 
“ there is Frances Sherrar’s house! 99 

“ Where? Is it, grandpa? 99 asked Cherry, a 
little twinge of envy seizing her as she remembered 
her younger sisters’ visit there a few weeks 
before. 

“ Yes,” he replied, glancing hastily out of the 
window, “ I think very likely it was, as they live 
on the corner we have just passed, and the next 
street is where we get off. Press the button, 
Curlypate, or the conductor will carry us by. I 
didn’t know you were acquainted with the Sher- 
rars, Abigail. Frances is a student at the Uni- 
versity; you will probably be in some of her 
classes. Give me your hand, Hope. There, 
mother, all our family are off. Eight about face! 
One block west, and — here we are. Welcome 
home, my children! Peace, how do you like the 
looks of it? ” 

They had paused in front of a great, rambling, 
old house, set in the midst of a wide lawn, brown 
and sere now with approaching winter, and sur- 
rounded by huge, knotted, gnarled, old oaks, whose 
dry leaves still clung to the twisted branches and 
rustled in the crisp air. A fat, sleek, black 
Tabby lay asleep on the warm porch-rail; a 
gaunt, ungainly greyhound lay sunning him- 
self on the door mat, and from inside somewhere 


THE LILAC LADY 


19 


came the sound of a canary’s riotous song. The 
whole place breathed of home, and with a deep 
sigh of content, Peace lifted her great, brown 
eyes to the President’s face and whispered, “ It 
seems ’sif I b ’longed already.” 

“You do,” he murmured huskily. “ This is 
home, dear.” 

Hand in hand they walked up the path and 
through the door into the big hall, flooded with 
warm sunshine and sweet with the smell of roses. 
Up the stairway they marched, followed by the 
other sisters, all silent, wondering, but happy, 
and paused in the doorway of a large, airy room, 
furnished with easy-chairs and couches, a tempt- 
ing array of late books, and a dainty sewing-table, 
heaped with pretty materials such as young girls 
love. “ This is mother’s domain,” the President 
announced, stepping aside to let them enter. 
“ Hang your wraps in that closet for the time 
being, make yourselves presentable — there is a 
mirror on purpose for prinking — and then get 
acquainted with your new home. There is still 
an hour and a half before luncheon will be served, 
and that ought to give you quite an opportunity 
to make discoveries. Now away with you! ” 

“ But — ,” “ How,” “ What do you mean?” 
blurted out the astonished girls, wondering wheth- 
er he was in earnest or just joking, for this 
seemed a queer way to introduce them to their 
new life. 


20 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Just what I say,” he laughed. “ Mother 
thought we ought to conduct you about the place 
and explain all the different phases of your new 
home, but I am inclined to believe you will like 
it better if you can make the tour all by your- 
selves. Young folks usually glory in unexplored 
fields. Now to it, for time is fleeting I I shall 
call for a report of your discoveries at luncheon. 
A prize for the one who has seen the most.” 

“ Do we have to go by ourselves? ” Peace lin- 
gered to ask. 

“ As you wish,” was the brief response; and 
with his hat in his hand, the busy President de- 
scended the stairs, leaving a very bewildered 
group in the sewing-room behind him. 

“ Well! ” Gail ejaculated. “ How shall we 
begin? ” 

“ I saw a piano as we came through the hail 
below,” Faith half whispered. 

“ And books! Everywhere!” cried Cherry, 
her eyes fastened longingly upon the little book- 
case in the corner. “ Do they really belong to 
us now? ” 

“Yes, of course,” answered Peace in business- 
like tones. “ Come on, Allee; let’s get to work 
and see what we can find before lunch time. This 
is a pretty big house, and we’ve got to hustle if 
we get all around it in an hour and a half. Won- 
der where grandpa and grandma went. Shall we 
commence at the bottom and work up, or start 


THE LILAC LADY 


21 


in at the attic? I guess the attic first will be best, 
seeing weVe come up one flight of stairs already, 
and it would be just a waste of time to go down 
and have to climb them all again.’ ’ Answering 
her own question, she clutched Allee’s hand and 
disappeared in one direction, as the sisters, fol- 
lowing her example, scattered about the great 
house on their tours of inspection. 

The next ninety minutes were busy ones in the 
Campbell house, and it was necessary to ring the 
dinner bell twice before all members of the happy 
family were summoned to the table. 

“ Well, how goes it? ” smiled the President. 
“ Judging from the time it took to gather the 
clans, some of you must have been pretty busy.” 

“ We were,” dreamily murmured Cherry, who 
had been dragged bodily from the stacks of books 
in the library. 

“ Made any great discoveries? ” 

“ Yes, indeed! ” they cried in unison. 

“ Good! I’m all impatience! Relate your ad- 
ventures. We are anxious to hear how you like 
your new home — mother and I. Abigail, you are 
the oldest; suppose you begin.” 

“ I didn’t get very far, I am afraid,” said Gail 
modestly. “ Just a peep into the rooms upstairs 
and a beginning down here when I found Gussie 
almost on the verge of tears because her dessert 
had burned black and she had no time to make 
any more; so I — ” 


22 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Bet our talking burned up her pies/’ Peace 
was beard to murmur remorsefully. 

1 1 — helped her out a little, ’ ’ continued Gail, 
1 i and by that time the bell rang, so there was no 
opportunity for any further investigations. ’ ’ 

“ Saint Elizabeth,’ ’ said the President rever- 
ently, while the white-haired mistress of the 
house beamed her approval. 

“ Now, Faith, — but there is really no need of 
asking her about her discoveries. She got no 
further than the parlor with its piano. Now, did 
you? ” 

“ No, grandpa,” Faith confessed unblushingly. 
“ I saw it when we came in, and I simply couldn’t 
resist it a minute longer than was absolutely nec- 
essary. There will be lots of days for getting 
acquainted here, and besides, I knew Peace would 
carry off the prize — ” 

“ Me carry off the prize! 99 Peace interrupted. 
“ I’ve never { got a prize for anything in my 
life — ” 

“ Only because there never was one offered 
before for the person who could see the most or 
talk the longest,” laughed Faith, and Peace sub- 
sided suddenly. 

“ Saint Cecilia,: — she could not get past the 
piano,” teased Dr. Campbell, when the shout of 
laughter at Faith’s sally had died away. “ Hope, 
what have you to say for yourself? ” 

“ Not much. I visited all the rooms upstairs 


THE LILAC LADY 


23 


and down; fed the canary; got acquainted with 
Blinks, the cat, and Kyte, the hound; found Tow- 
zer and tried to make him be friends with Kyte, 
but he wouldn’t be coaxed. Gussie said there 
were some kittens in the basement, so I went 
down there to find them, but the boy from the 
hardware store was there working on the fur- 
nace, and some way we fell to talking about 
studies, and he was so discouraged over his alge- 
bra lesson for night-school that I stopped to see 
if I could help him out a little, and the bell rang 
just as we got the third problem worked.” 

“ My gentle Saint Lucia,” he said in praise, 
as he turned from her to the next sister in age. 
“Cherry, give an account of your wanderings.” 

“ I wandered downstairs as far as the li- 
brary — I guess that is what you call it.” 

“ And then what? ” for she stopped as if her 
tale were told. 

“ That’s all. I stayed there.” 

“ Oh! ” The President wilted, Mrs. Campbell 
stared, and for a moment even the sisters were 
silent in surprise at the matter-of-fact tone of 
the narrator; then the whole assembly burst into 
another merry shout, much to the disgust of poor 
Cherry, who could see no cause for amusement, 
and voiced her sentiments by saying petulantly, 
“ I don’t see anything the inatter with that! 
What difference is there between playing the 
piano aH the morning and reading books? ” 


24 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ It wasn’t what yon did that amused us,” 
said Mrs. Campbell soothingly. “ It was the way 
you told it. We won’t laugh any more.” 

“ Oh! ” breathed the ruffled damsel in relief, 
“ if that’s all, I don’t care how much you laugh. 
But you’ll have a better chance with Peace — she 
never can tell anything straight.” 

“ What kind of a saint is Cherry! ” inquired 
the younger girl, ignoring the compliment she had 
just received. “ If Gail is Saint ’Lizabeth and 
Faith is Saint Cecilia and Hope is Saint Lucy, 
what’s Cherry! ” 

“ Saint Bookworm, I guess, Miss Curiosity- 
Box. What have you been doing this morning! ” 

“ Oh, lots of things,” she sighed heavily. 
“ Allee and me went together. We began with 
the attic, which is full of trunks of old clothes and 
battered-up furniture and cobwebs, and has two 
rooms for the hired girls to sleep in. Gussie’s 
room is just suburb ! It’s dec ’rated with the 
queerest looking old bird of a bedstead — ” 

“ Peace! What slang! ” cried Faith in genu- 
ine horror. 

“ It’s no such thing! It is a bird! She calls 
it a swan, for it’s got a tall, crooked neck for 
the foot-board, and if I had it in my room, I’d 
hang curtains on its tail. It could be done just 
splendid! I’ll show you after lunch if you don’t 
b’lieve me.” 

“ Oh, we believe you! Go on. I’m interested 


THE LILAC LADY 


25 


in that room,” begged Hope, wondering why she 
too had not begun with the attic. 

“ Then on the wall she has a great fish-net 
full of the prettiest postcards of Norway and 
Sweden and De’mark. She’s a Swede, you 
know, — Gussie is; and her married brother and 
two sisters and grandmother still live over there. 
That’s where the fish-net came from. I didn’t 
have time to stop long to look at the cards ’cause 
there was so much else to do ’fore lunch time, 
but she’s invited us to come up some evening 
when she’s through work and then she’ll tell all 
about them. There’s the loveliest green and yel- 
low quilt on her bed that she made all herself. 
She said grandma had a red one for her to use, 
but it seemed more like home with her own things, 
so she uses them instead of those that b’long to 
the house. But the prettiest of everything is a 
queer little piece of glass hanging in the window 
which makes her room look like a real rainbow 
on sunny days, ’cause the prison respects the 
light and sorts out all the colors. Oh, you needn’t 
laugh and think you know better I Gussie told us 
all about it, didn’t she, Allee? ” 

“ Gussie did not call it a prison,” Hope could 
not refrain from saying. 4 4 It is a prism, and it 
re — it isn’t respects the light, grandpa — ” 

“ No. Refracts is the word she wants to use. 
Peace tries to drink in so much information that 
she can’t digest it all.” 


26 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Maybe that is what’s the matter,” Peace 
agreed thoughtfully. “ Anyway, her room is a 
beauty — lots prettier that Marie’s, though Marie 
has the same chance of making hers look nice that 
Gussie has. There’s the same difference in the 
girls themselves that there is in their rooms, 
too.” 

“ Why, what do you mean? ” cried the aston- 
ished mistress of the house, while the President 
nodded his head in approval at the child’s obser- 
vations. 

“ Well, Gussie is good-natured and ’bliging, 
while Marie is cross and grouchy. We hadn’t got 
the knob of her door turned before she ordered 
us out of her room and told us to mind our own 
business.” 

“ Poor childie, I ought to have cautioned you 
not to go into either of those attic rooms without 
the girls’ permission. You see, while they work 
here, that is the one place in the house which is 
really theirs, and they don’t want the rest of the 
family intruding.” 

‘ 1 Yes, I know now. Gussie told me how it was 
when I spoke of Marie’s being cross, but we never 
touched a thing; we just looked, didn’t we, Allee? 
Marie had the tooth-ache, and that’s enough to 
make anyone ugly. I got her some funny stuff 
that a shoemaker in Parker gave me once when I 
had the tooth-ache. After that she was a little 
pleasanter to us — that is, for a time. It did stop 


THE LILAC LADY 


27 


the aching right away, but it took all the skin off 
her cheek where she put the medicine — it is to 
be rubbed on outside. I forgot to tell her it 
would do that, so she didn’t like it very well 
when her face began to peel off, ’cause she is 
going to the theatre tonight with her beau. But 
when she jawed about it, I told her I’d rather have 
a skinned face and a chance to go to the theatre, 
than an aching tooth any day of the week, and 
fin’ly she decided she would, too. I guess I’ll 
like her in time, but I like Gussie better. Then we 
went on downstairs and ’xamined the rooms on 
that floor. The big front room is awfully pretty, 
and so is grandma’s room where she sews, but 
the other three bedrooms are very bare and ugly- 
looking. Is that where you’re going to put us, 
grandpa? ” 

“ Peace! ” shrieked the sisters in horrified 
chorus. 

“ Yes! ” roared the delighted President, and 
even Mrs. Campbell joined in his merriment. 

“ Well, I s’pose it is healthy,” Peace reluc- 
tantly admitted; then as if divining a joke some- 
where, she smiled serenely and continued her 
recital. u We looked through the parlor and li- 
brary and dining-room and where you put com- 
pany when they come, and then we came to the 
kitchen. We got there ahead of Gail all right, for 
Gussie was just making some pies and reading a 
book at the same time.” 


28 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ A book! ” echoed Mrs. Campbell, a slight 
frown gathering on the usually placid forehead. 

“ Yes, it was a pome of some kind that she was 
trying to learn. She wants to be a neducated 
Swede. She got through High School, but she 
wants to know more hi that, so’s she can be a 
teacher some day. That’s how she comes to be 
cooking for other people. She is a good cook and 
can make pretty good money that way. She isn’t 
a big spender, so every month she can put away 
’most all of her wages towards going to Normal 
School. I always thought Normal School was 
where they sent bad boys and girls who couldn’t 
be good at home, but she says I mean Deform 
School. I guess she’ll get to Normal School all 
right. I told her Gail would help her with her 
lessons when they got too hard for her alone, 
’cause Gail’s to go to the University right away; 
but I didn’t think Faith would be much good at 
that, as long’s she isn’t quite through High School 
herself. I told her Faith could make lovely fancy 
things to eat and would like awfully well to teach 
her when she had any spare time, and Gussie 
says she’ll be tickled to learn, ’cause she is only 
a plain cook and not up on frills yet.” 

Faith and the President exchanged comical 
glances across the table, but Peace was too much 
interested in her cake and fruit to notice what 
was going on around her, and blissfully contin- 
ued, “ ¥e went down in the basement, too, and 


THE LILAC LADY 


29 


saw that boy from Benton’s. His name is Caspar 
Dodds. His father is dead — what a lot of dead 
folks there are in this world! — and he has to 
earn money to take care of his mother and two 
sisters. She does plain sewing, and I promised 
you’d hire her sometimes, grandma. They live on 
Sixteenth Street, just at the corner where the 
Pendennis car turns oft from the bridge. He 
told me how to get there. He’s going to night- 
school so’s he can learn the education he’s miss- 
ing daytimes, and says he gets along well in 
everything but algebra. I guess that’s how he 
came to speak to Hope about it. I told him she’d 
be glad to help him with ’xamples he couldn’t do, 
’cause she was Professor Watson’s star scholar 
in that. Gussie told us about the kittens, too, so 
I knew Hope would be down to find them, and 
that way she’d see Caspar. She must have come 
along right after us or she wouldn’t have found 
him, ’cause he was ’most ready to go when we 
went out to the barn. 

“ Jud had just brought in the horses from exer- 
cising them, and I told him I guessed likely we’d 
help him at that job after this, for all of us like 
to ride. At first he wasn’t going to let us see 
the horses and we had to do a lot of talking ’fore 
he’d give in. He used awful poor grammar, and 
when he told us the stable wasn’t the place for 
little girls and that we better go in the house and 
learn to cook like Gussie, I asked him why he 


30 


THE LILAC LADY 


didn’t get some books and learn to speak right 
like Gussie, instead of sitting on an old box and 
reading yellow newspapers — well, it was yellow, 
just as yellow and musty and old as it could be I 
And he’s too nice looking to be nothing but a 
horseman all his life. When I told him that, he 
got interested and fin’ly showed us some books 
he was trying to study, but he can’t see sense in 
the grammar. Gussie promised to help him, but 
she never has much time for such things, and he 
thinks she thinks he ’s a plumb dunce. I promised 
to ask her if that’s the way she felt, but he said 
I mustn’t; so I did the next best I could think 
of — I told him Cherry would study grammar with 
him. She uses the same book he has in the bam, 
and — ” 

“ Peace Greenfield, did you really tell him 
that? ” gasped poor frightened Cherry, looking 
a§ if she had just heard her death sentence pro- 
nounced. 

“ Why, yes! I thought you’d be glad to help 
him out that much. I haven’t got as far as gram- 
mar in school yet, or I’d teach him all myself ; but 
I promised to talk proper grammar to him, so’s 
to help all I could. What do you look so scared 
about, Cherry? He really wants to learn; he 
ain’t fooling. And he’s an awful nice man. He 
showed us the squirrels’ hole in the vacant oak 
by the barn — I mean the hollow oak — and took 
us down to the boathouse on the river. You 


THE LILAC LADY 


31 


never told ns anything about the river being so 
near here, grandpa. And he pointed out the Uni- 
versity buildings through the trees, and promised 
to show us around the grounds right after lunch 
if you didn’t have time to bother. He let us go 
up in the barn loft and says if you’re willing, 
we can have a playhouse up there in the part 
with the window that looks out over the river. 
Then he pulled out his watch to let us know it 
was lunch time, but we told him right square out 
that there was one more thing we wanted to see, 
lunch time or no lunch time, and that was the 
horses. So after he grumbled some more about 
children being such nuisances, he took us down- 
stairs again, and showed us your Marmalade and 
Champagne. Oh, but — ” 

‘ ‘ What ? ’ ’ shouted the whole family in shocked 
amazement. 

“ Marmalade and Champagne,” Peace repeat- 
ed more slowly. “ That is what Jud called them. 
They aren’t as pretty as our Black Prince, ’cause 
they are only red, and a red horse is never as 
nice as a black — ” 

“ Horses! What funny names!” laughed 
Hope. 

“ She has made a mistake,” smiled Mrs. Camp- 
bell. “ They are Marmaduke and Charlemagne. 
My nephew’s children named them, which ac- 
counts for their high-sounding titles. I am glad 
you like Marmaduke and Charlemagne, Peace. 


32 


THE LILAC LADY 


We think they are very intelligent animals. Jud 
has succeeded in teaching them several rather 
clever tricks.” 

“ Yes, I like the horses and I like the people. 
It’s going to be nice to live with such a neducated 
bunch. Marie’s the only one that doesn’t want 
to learn more, but p ’raps she ’ll get over it. Who 
wins the prize, grandpa? That’s all Allee and 
me saw. And what is the prize? ” 

“ After dinner in the den tonight I’ll tell you 
the secret,” the President promised. “ I had no 
idea it would take so long to recount your adven- 
tures, but my time is up now. I must go back to 
the University at once. And by the way, Peace, 
I am afraid Jud will have to show you around the 
campus if you must see it this afternoon. I have 
an important meeting at two o’clock.” 


CHAPTER II 


THE FLAG ROOM 

Scarcely had the dinner hour ended that eve- 
ning when the hilarious trio of younger girls, fol- 
lowed by the more sedate, hut no less eager older 
sisters, scurried down the long corridor toward 
the den where the President had already in- 
trenched himself, waiting for the promised visit. 

“Here we are, grandpa !” announced Allee, 
tumbling breathlessly through the doorway and 
into the nearest chair. “We raced and I beat.’ ’ 

“ ’Cause Cherry tripped me up,” exploded 
Peace wrathfully. “It’s no fair — ” 

“Tut, tut, my children!” Dr. Campbell inter- 
posed. “No scrapping allowed here. This is a 
home, not a kennel.” 

“Oh, we weren’t scrapping,” Peace hastily as- 
sured him, “but I’d have won if Cherry hadn’t 
got her feet mixed up with mine, so’s Allee got 
in ahead. I don’t care, though. I can run the 
fastest of the bunch outdoors. Jud says I’m a 
racer, all right. Did I get the prize for talking 
the most this noon? Gail and Faith and all of 
them think I ought to have it — that is, Allee and 


3 


33 


34 


THE LILAC LADY 


me. We went together and saw the same things, 
though I did do all the telling.” 

The President laughed. “ Yes, I believe you 
and Allee won the prize all right. Grandma 
thinks so, too, but that is just where the hitch 
comes; because, you see, the prize was just to 
be your choice of rooms upstairs, and with Peace 
in one room and Allee in another, how are we 
going to settle the question as to who has first 
choice? ” 

“ Do you mean that the winner can choose 
which of those three bare rooms she wants for 
her very own? ” 

“ That’s it.” His eyes twinkled merrily. 
Peace’s untrammeled frankness furnished him 
much amusement. 

“ Well, then, why is Allee going to be in one 
room and me in another ? ’ ’ 

“ Why — why — why — ” stammered the learned 
Doctor, at loss to know how to explain certain 
plans he and Mrs. Campbell had in mind. “We 
thought it would be best to pair you off so one 
of you younger girls roomed with one of the older 
sisters. Don’t you? ” 

“ No,” was the emphatic reply. “ It wouldn’t 
do at all.” 

“ Why not? ” gently asked Mrs. Campbell, 
who had entered the room so quietly that none of 
the girls was aware of her presence. 

“ Well, s’pose you paired us off ’cording to 


THE LILAC LADY 


35 


our looks/ ’ Peace explained, without waiting for 
any of the sisters to register objections; “ there ’d 
be Hope and Allee together, for they are the light- 
est; and Gail and Cherry would have a room by 
themselves, ’cause they aren’t either light or 
dark; and that would leave Faith and me to each 
other, being the darkest of them all. Now, Faith 
and me can’t get along together two minutes. 
Ask Gail, ask Hope. Any of them will tell you 
so. It ain’t because we like to fight, either. We 
just ain’t made to suit each other, that’s all. 
Mother used to say there are lots of people in 
the world like that, and the only way to get along 
is to make the best of it and agree to disagree. 
But it would never do to put us in the same room. 
That’s too close. We don’t like the same things, 
even. Faith ’d be cross ’cause I’d want to put 
my b ’longings certain places, and I’d get awful 
ugly if she took all the nice spots for her things. 

“ Then, s ’posing you paired us off by ages — 
the youngest with the oldest, and the next young- 
est with the next oldest, — that would still leave 
Faith and me together. It wouldn’t do at all, you 
see.” 

“ How would you suggest dividing the rooms 
among you, then? ” meekly inquired the Presi- 
dent, casting a comical look of resignation at his 
puzzled wife. 

“ Put the ones of us together that get along 
the best. Allee and me are chums, and Cherry and 


36 


THE LILAC LADY 


Hope, and Faith, and Gail. Then we’d all be 
suited and there wouldn’t be any fussing — ’nless 
it was among the big girls.” 

The President coughed gently behind his hand, 
Mrs. Campbell bent over to straighten an imag- 
inary wrinkle in the rug at her feet, while Gail 
and Hope were industriously studying a picture 
on the wall. But Faith readily seconded Peace ’s 
proposition, saying heartily, “ What she says is 
true, grandpa. She and I can’t seem to get along 
together at all, though we do love each other 
dearly. We never have been interested in the 
same things, and I don’t believe we ever will be. 
We have always paired off the way she says, and 
get along famously that way.” 

“ But how will you furnish the rooms that 
way? ” wailed Mrs. Campbell suddenly. “ I had 
planned it all out — the blondes together, the bru- 
nettes, and — ” 

‘ ‘ The blondes and brunettes ? ’ ’ repeated Cher- 
ry in bewilderment. 

“ Yes; fair-haired, blue-eyed people are 
blondes, while those with dark hair and eyes are 
brunettes,” Hope explained. 

“ It would be so much easier to carry out a 
color scheme in each room if you girls were 
paired off according to looks,” sighed the woman 
in disappointment. 

“ Colors wouldn’t amount to much if we fought 
all the time,” murmured Peace, trying hard to 


THE LILAC LADY 


37 


look cheerful even at the prospect of having to 
room with the one sister she could not understand 
or agree with. 

66 That’s so,” agreed the President, chasing 
away the disfiguring frown on his forehead with 
a bright smile. “ Besides, mother, the girls may 
have altogether different plans for decorating 
their rooms than — Well, Peace and Allee have 
first choice of room then. Which shall it be ? ” 

6 1 The one with the teenty porch ! ’ ’ quickly re- 
sponded the duet, as though the matter had al- 
ready been privately discussed. 

6 6 Aha, conspirators ! Had your minds all made 
up, did you? ” 

“ Yes, grandpa,” Peace answered. “ We have 
both slid down the pillar into the garden — what 
was the garden — and clum up the trellis as easy! 
Just think how much time we can save going in 
and out that way instead of having to run clear 
down the hall to the stairs every time — ” 

“ Peace! ” screamed Mrs. Campbell in horror. 

“ Peace! ” echoed the scandalized sisters. 

But for a long moment the President only 
stared. Then he spoke. ‘ ‘ Now, see here, chil- 
dren, if you have that balcony room for your own, 
you must promise one thing. Don’t ever use the 
porch pillars for a stairway again, either to get 
inside the house or out. Do you understand? ” 

“ Yes, grandpa,” came the reluctant promise. 

“ You will not forget? ” 


38 


THE LILAC LADY 


44 No, grandpa,’ ’ with still more reluctance. 

44 If you do, you will forfeit that room, re- 
member. Porch pillars were never made for such 
purposes. They are not only hard on your 
clothes, but think what would happen if you 
should slip and fall.” 

The whole group shuddered at this direful pic- 
ture, and the chief culprit snuggled closer to this 
newly found guardian, and whispered contritely, 
44 We didn’t think of that before. We’ll be good.” 

44 That’s my girlie! Now for the other matters 
we must consider. When it was settled that you 
were to come here to live, mother and I talked 
over plans for refurnishing the rooms you are to 
occupy, but somehow we could not come to any 
satisfactory conclusions, and finally decided it 
would be best and wisest to let you select your 
own furniture and arrange it to suit yourselves.” 

4 4 Whee ! ’ ’ interrupted Peace with a delighted 
little hop. 44 Won’t that be — ” 

44 Don’t say 4 bully’,” implored Cherry. 

44 No, I won’t. I’ll say jolly. Won’t that be 
jolly! Hooray! ” Her shout of joy ended in 
such a queer, shrill squeak that the little company 
burst into a gale of laughter, and it was some 
minutes before order was restored, but when at 
last the merriment had subsided, each duet found 
themselves holding a small slip of paper which 
quite took their breath away. 

44 What is it! ” asked Allee, standing on tiptoe 


THE LILAC LADY 


39 


to get a better view of the yellow scrap in Peace’s 
hand, though she could not read a word on it. 

11 Grandpa! Is it to furnish our rooms with! ” 
cried Hope, impulsively dropping a kiss on the 
tip of Mrs. Campbell’s nose. 

“ Oh, you precious people! ” whispered Gail 
tremulously. “ It is altogether too much. We 
ought not to spend all that just on our rooms.” 

“ Now, look here, my dearies,” interposed 
Mrs. Campbell, beaming benignly at the flushed, 
surprised faces of the six girls, “ father and I 
figured it all out carefully, and that is the amount 
we decided upon as necessary for all the fixings 
you would want to make you cosy. And you will 
find it won’t go so far after all; but I know you 
can trim up some very dainty, pretty rooms with 
that amount. The beds we already had, so we 
left them there, but all the other furniture has 
been removed to the attic or disposed of in other 
ways, so you can follow your own inclinations in 
refurnishing your boudoirs. That is why I was 
so anxious to have the blondes together, but — I 
don’t believe it will matter much. You will find 
some way of getting around that.” 

“ Of course they will, and the room that is 
fixed up the prettiest a week from today will be 
presented with an appropriate picture,” declared 
the President, hugely enjoying the pleasure and 
surprise of his adopted family. 

Silence for a breathless moment fell upon the 


40 


THE LILAC LADY 


eager group, then with characteristic energy, 
Peace grabbed Allee’s hand and started for the 
door, saying, “ Come on, sister, let’s get to work 
right away. We’ve got to win that picture to go 
with our porch.” Just at the threshold another 
thought occurred to her, and she faced about with 
the remark, “ Say, grandpa, do we have to spend 
all this money for dec ’rations? ” 

“ No,” he laughed. “ If you can find any- 
thing in the attic which you can use, take posses- 
sion of it.” 

“ And the money we don’t spend is ours? ” 
For a fraction of a second he hesitated, won- 
dering what scheme was taking shape under the 
thatch of brown curls; then with a twinkle in 
his eyes he answered, “ Yes, I reckon it is.” 

“ But, Donald,” whispered Mrs. Campbell in 
his ear, “ they are too young to be intrusted with 
such a sum.” 

‘ 1 Grandpa, ’ ’ Gail interrupted, looking thought- 
fully at the check which Faith was still studying 
curiously; “ must we do this without help from 
anyone else? Suppose we should all happen to 
choose the same plan? ” 

4 4 Oh, there is no danger of that at all because 
your tastes are not all the same, so far as I can 
discover ; but I think it might be a good plan to 
consult with some older or more experienced per- 
son — some one outside the family. Grandma and 
I are to be the judges, you know ; so it would not 


THE LILAC LADY 


41 


be fair for us to know beforehand what you were 
intending to do.” 

“ Oh, how splendid to have it all a secret from 
you two ! * 9 cried Hope. 1 1 But who will help 
us? ” 

“ We shall ask Frances Sherrar,” announced 
Gail after a whispered consultation with her 
room-mate. “ She knows all about such things.” 

“ Then let’s us ask Mrs. Sherrar,” suggested 
Cherry, anxious to have as good authority to 
back them in their plans. 

“ That’s a good idea,” Hope conceded readily. 
“ Whom shall you choose, Peace? ” 

They all expected to hear her name Mrs. 
Strong, her patron saint, but to their utter amaze- 
ment she promptly retorted, “Gussie! ” 

“ But, Peace,” they protested, “ Gussie won’t 
know — ” 

“ Gussie thinks just like I do about colors and 
such things. That’s why I chose her.” 

Nor could the sisters change her decision in 
the matter, but as the time was short and there 
were many other affairs demanding their atten- 
tion, the girls soon forgot their concern over 
Gussie ’s barbaric tastes, and Peace and Allee 
were left to their own devices. 

For the next three days they spent their leisure 
moments in wandering hand in hand about the 
house, looking very sober, and listening anxiously 
to the sound of hammers in the rooms adjoining 


42 


THE LILAC LADY 


theirs. Then a marked change came over them; 
there were many conferences with Gussie in the 
kitchen; much prowling abont the attic in secret, 
and even two or three trips to the barn to inter- 
view Jud, the man of all work. The sound of 
hammer and saw could be heard at almost any 
hour of the day, hurried visits were made to the 
sewing-room when no one else was in sight, and 
the pungent smell of paint and paste filled the 
house. 

But at last all three rooms were in spick-and- 
span order, and the two judges were summoned 
to behold the result of the week’s labor. At the 
first door they halted, and the President turned 
to his wife with a ludicrous grimace as he said, 
il Dora, I am afraid I’ve got us into trouble. How 
in this wide world are we going to be able to 
decide which is the prettiest room? And if it 
should be easy to decide that question, how shall 
we ever make our peace with the occupants of 
the other two? Oh, Dora! ” 

“ Open the door! ” clamored the laughing 
girls. “ You should have thought of these things 
before you made such a rash promise.” And 
they pressed about him so relentlessly that he 
was forced to turn the knob and enter the first 
bower of loveliness. 

It was indeed a bower, so refreshingly cool and 
beautiful with its color scheme of pink and green 
and brown that it required very little imagina- 


THE LILAC LADY 


43 


tion to transport one into the heart of some en- 
chanted woods ; and instinctively the four young- 
er girls as well as the judges burst into a long- 
drawn exclamation of wonder and delight. 

44 Oh, I can smell the flowers/ ’ cried Hope, 
sniffing the air hungrily as if expecting to find 
the woodland blossoms there. 

4 4 And hear the creek, ’ ’ added Peace. 

44 I suppose they have won the prize,” sighed 
Cherry disconsolately, while behind their backs 
Gail and Faith ecstatically hugged each other. 

44 Don’t decide the question until we have seen 
the other two,” suggested Mrs. Campbell sagely, 
and the excited company flocked eagerly into the 
next room. 

Here everything was in blue and gold, even to 
the dainty curtains at the windows. The walls 
were covered with a delicate blue paper, dotted 
with sprays of cheerful goldenrod; the dresser 
and table were decorated with blue silk scarfs 
embroidered with the same flower; gilt-framed 
pictures hung upon the walls ; and from the head 
of each narrow, gilded bedstead floated soft drap- 
eries of blue. 

44 Sky and sunshine,” murmured Gail, quick to 
feel the perfect harmony of the room. 44 Isn’t it 
lovely? ” 

44 Yes, and it is fully as pretty as ours,” whis- 
pered Faith, 44 though I like ours best.” 

44 Now for the last,” Cherry urged eagerly, 


44 


THE LILAC LADY 


well content with the rapturous exclamations her 
room and Hope’s had brought forth. ‘ 4 This will 
have to be awfully good to beat the other two.” 

“ It is awfully good,” Peace informed her. “ I 
think it is the best.” 

“ So do I! ” “ And I! ” came the chorus of 
surprised voices as the last door swung open and 
the beauties of the third chamber burst upon their 
view. 

“ It makes me think of fire-crackers,” Cherry 
pensively observed. 

“ Nobody but Peace would ever have thought 
of such a thing,” Faith put in. 

“A regular Fourth of July room,” stuttered 
the President when he had recovered his voice 
enough to speak. “ Girlies, how did you do it? ” 

“ Well,” confessed Peace, meditatively chew- 
ing her finger in her endeavor to appear modest 
in the midst of such unstinted praise, “ at first 
we didn’t know what to do. The other girls kept 
talking about ’propriate colors for their com- 
plexions. Faith is all blunette and she looks best 
in pink. Hope is all blonde and blue is her best 
color, while Gail and Cherry have blunette hair 
and blonde eyes, and they chose yellow and green. 
I didn’t know it then, but that is what they did. 
Anyway, they talked about the different colors 
till I thought we ought to have our rooms fixed 
up in things that fitted us. That made it hard 
for Allee and me, you see, ’cause she is all blonde 


THE LILAC LADY 


45 


and I’m all blunette. To fit her, the room would 
have to be all blue, and to fit me it would be all 
red. Gussie said it wasn’t stylish to use red and 
blue together any more, so we didn’t know what 
to do until one day when we were rummelging 
through the attic we found heaps and heaps of 
perfectly whole bunting and two great, big flags. 
That decided us to make a flag room of ours, and 
Gussie said it was a splen-did idea. So that’s 
how it happened. 

4 ‘ Allee and me ’d rather sleep together so ’s we 
can talk when we are awake, instead of having to 
Wler our thoughts clear across the room from 
one bed to the other whenever we want to talk 
secrets ; so we traded beds with Gussie. She said 
she was willing, and I always did want that bird 
of a bed after I saw it in her room. But the cur- 
tains wouldn’t hang from its tail like I thought 
they would, and we — ” 

“ Stole my Paris doll to hold ’em up with! ” 
cried Cherry, spying for the first time the beau^ 
tiful w^xen image dressed to represent the God* 
dess of Liberty, which stood on a tiny mantel 
>ver the quaint little bed, and held the bunting 
curtains in one hand. 

“ We borrowed it,” Peace corrected. “ We 
couldn’t very well ash you ’bout it without your 
teasing to know why, and Allee and me didn’t 
have a decent doll among us. Besides, you never 
play with it any more, and like as not grandpa 


46 


THE LILAC LADY 


or some other person that’s got money will give 
us one of our own for Christmas. Then you can 
have yours back again. I guess you can wait that 
long, can’t you? We wanted the walls striped 
with red and white, but Gussie thought that would 
look too much like a barber shop, so we just had 
white paper. It doesn’t much matter, for the 
flags cover most of that wall, and Martha and 
George — we found them in the attic — Washington 
take up all the space on that side under the 
eagle — we got that out of the glass case that 
stands in the barn loft. We were going to see 
if we couldn’t find some rugs with flags in them, 
but Gussie said it wasn’t nice to walk on our 
country’s flag, so we chose this red carpet that 
used to be on this floor.” 

“ But where did you get such cute, quaint fur- 
niture? ” asked Faith who was trying the white 
enameled chairs one after another. 

“ Oh, that all came from the attic, too. Didn’t 
cost us anything. It was a dull, ugly brown — ” 

“ Mother’s mahogany set,” whispered Mrs. 
Campbell to the amused doctor standing at her 
side. 

“ — but a little white varnish made it just what 
we wanted.” 

“ Did you do the painting? ” asked Cherry, 
testing it with her finger to see if it stuck. 

“ No; we tried, but it looked so streaked we 
thought we sure had spoiled it. Gussie didn’t 


THE LILAC LADY 


47 


Lave time to do a good job on it, either; so we 
asked Jud to help us out, and he said he would 
if Gussie — ” There was a movement at the door, 
and the company glanced over their shoulders 
just in time to see Gussie ’s dress whisk out of 
sight down the hall. “ — would give him a kiss. 
So you see we got that work done.dirt cheap, too. 
Altogether, we spent nine dollars and ninety-one 
cents of the money grandpa gave us. Gussie 
kept the list. That’s what the paper and white 
paint and ribbons for tying back our curtains — 
oh, yes, and the curtains themselves came to. 
They are just dotted Swish and we got it at a 
sale, so it didn’t cost us much. Mrs. Grinnell 
says always watch for sales, ’cause lots of bar- 
gains can be picked up that way, and we remem- 
bered it this time. We spent the extra nine 
cents — to make just an even ten dollars — for 
candy to treat Gussie and Jud, seeing they 
wouldn’t take any money for their work, but they 
didn’t eat it all; so Allee and me had the rest.” 

“ Did you make the curtains yourselves? ” 
asked Cherry, the inquisitive. 

“ Well, mostly. Gussie cut them for us, and 
I held them straight in the machine while Allee 
made the pedal go. The seams ain’t very crooked, 
but sometimes the needle would hit a lump in the 
pattern and teeter out around it, in spite of all 
I could do. But the made-up curtains at the store 
cost lots more than the raw cloth and weren’t 


48 


THE LILAC LADY 


half so pretty, so Gussie said she’d help us make 
our own. Didn’t we do well? ” 

“ You certainly did,” was the unanimous ver- 
dict. “ The prize is yours.” 

“ And children,” said the President impres- 
sively, as they still lingered in the quaintly fur- 
nished room; “ I hope every time you enter this 
door, the spirit of patriotism, the love of country, 
will grow stronger and greater in your hearts.” 

“ Yes, grandpa, I guess it will,” answered 
Peace in all seriousness, “ ’cause we’ll always be 
thinking of the rest of that check money which 
we’ve saved from dec’rating our room so’s we 
could buy fire-crackers and rockets for next 
Fourth of July.” 


CHAPTER III 


CHRISTMAS DAY WITH THE CAMPBELLS 

The days which followed the advent of the 
orphan sisters in the great house were happy 
ones. Oh, so happy! How can they be described? 
The two lonely old hearts which had hungered all 
these long years for the little children who had so 
early left them thrilled with gladness at every 
sound of the eager, girlish voices. Boundless 
content reigned in their hearts as they watched 
each expressive face and studied each different 
character; and they wondered openly how they 
had ever managed to live without this precious 
band of granddaughters, as they insisted upon 
calling their charges. 

And the girls were equally happy. Gail felt 
as if a great weight had been lifted from her 
shoulders, as if her soul had been suddenly freed 
from a dark prison. The care-worn look vanished 
from the thin face; the big, gray-blue eyes spar- 
kled with animation; her heart bubbled over with 
gratitude and love ; and in every possible way she 
tried to show these new guardians how deeply 
and tenderly she loved them. And her attitude 
was that of the other sisters also, except that each 
49 


4 


50 


THE LILAC LADY 


girl took her own method of showing it. The 
Campbells were well satisfied with their experi- 
ment and were never tired of saying to each 
other, “ They are onrs now.” 

“ Yes,” Peace had answered them once when 
she had overheard these words; “we are yours 
now, but it seems to me ’sif we had always be- 
longed to you. Some way, we fit in just as slick ! 
’Sif we had only been away on a vacation and 
just got home again, and you’re tickled to see us 
and we’re tickled to see you. Only — s ’posing 
we really had been your granddaughters, s ’posing 
you had been our Grandpa Greenfield, I bet you’d 
never have named me Peace.” 

“ No,” Dr. Campbell replied gravely, but with 
a quick thrill of tenderness in his heart for this 
little scapegrace who seemed to win from every- 
one an extra share of love; “ no, I don’t think I 
should have named you Peace — that is, if I could 
have foreseen what the blossom was to be when 
the bud unfolded. I should have called you Joy.” 

“Joy?” repeated Peace. “Humph! That 
sounds like a heathen name. We’ve got a story 
book about Hop Loy, a Chinaman who was born 
on Christmas Day and never saw a Christmas 
tree until he was older ’n Cherry. Why-ee! Ain’t 
that terrible? I used to think I’d like to have my 
birthday come on Christmas, but now I’m glad 
it doesn’t, for then everybody ’d make one present 
do for the two days, and I’d get only half as 


THE LILAC LADY 


51 


many pretty things as other children have. It’s 
bad enough as ’tis, being born on New Year’s 
Day, for by that time most folks have spent all 
their money on Christmas doings.” 

“ Oho,” he mocked, “ is that what is bothering 
you? Well, now, don’t you worry! You shall have 
your share of birthday gifts as well as heaps of 
Christmas presents as long as you live with us. 
This year Christmas will be doubly merry, for it 
is the first holiday season we have had any young 
folks to help us celebrate since the days when 
Dora’s nephew used to spend his vacations with 
us.” 

“ Why doesn’t he come any more? ” asked 
Cherry curiously. 

“ Oh, he is a gray-haired man now with chil- 
dren of his own,” laughed grandma, then sighed, 
for the rollicking Ned who had been the life of 
so many vacations with them had married a 
society dame whose one aim was to see how many 
social victories she could score, and the poor chil- 
dren of the family fared as best they could in 
the great, loveless palace which they called home. 

“Do they live in Martindale? ” asked Hope, 
eager to add to her list of acquaintances any 
whom the Campbells loved. 

“No, their home is in Chicago now. That is a 
photograph of the children.” She pointed to a 
group picture on the fireplace mantel, and the 
girls clustered about it with inquisitive eyes. 


52 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ What a sad-faced child the smaller one is,” 
observed Faith. “ How old is she! ” 

“ Six or seven weeks younger than Peace, I 
believe. She was born on Valentine Day.” 

“ How lovely! ” Peace cried joyfully. 4 4 But 
I’d like it better if it was the boy who was almost 
my age. He looks the nicest of the bunch. The 
big girl is homely — ” 

“ Peace! ” 

“ Well, it ain’t her fault, I know, and I 
wouldn’t mind how homely she was if she looked 
sweet, but she doesn’t. She looks ’sif she thought 
she owned the earth and I never did like a darni- 
meering person. Now Tom — his name is Tom, 
isn’t it? ” 

“ No, dear, it is Henderson. Henderson Mea- 
dows.” 

“ Oh! Why, I was sure it was Tom; he has 
such a Tom-ish look — ” 

A shout of derision interrupted her, but she 
stoutly declared, “Well, he has! Boys named 
Tom are always nice — all I ever knew. I’m sorry 
his name is Henderson. It doesn’t sound a bit 
like him.” 

“ You are a queer chick,” said the President 
indulgently, “but I quite agree with you in re- 
gard to Henderson. He is a splendid fellow, how- 
ever, in spite of his long name. They ought to 
have called him Ned Junior. He is big Ned all 
over again, just as Belle the second is the counter- 


THE LILAC LADY 


53 


part of her mother. Lorene is the odd piece. 
Every family has one odd one, I believe. Lorene 
is like neither her father nor mother.” 

“ What fnnny names! They are as bad as ours. 
But I should like to know the children — the folks, 
I mean. I s’pose Belle is too old to he called a 
child any longer, ain’t she? ” 

‘ 6 Yes, Belle is sixteen and stylish,” he an- 
swered grimly, as if that told the story, and it 
really did, for little more could he said of the 
frivolous, society-loving girl, brought up to fol- 
low in the footsteps of her worldly mother. 

“ Do they come here often? ” ventured Gail, 
still studying the group, none of whom looked 
really happy. 

“ No, oh no,” Mrs. Campbell answered hastily. 
“ Martindale is too quiet for Mrs. Meadows. Ned 
sent Henderson and Lorene up here for a month 
last summer, but Belle has never been our guest. 
Grandpa and I have visited them twice in Chi- 
cago, but that is all we have ever seen them.” 

“ I wish they lived nearer,” sighed Peace. 
“ We never had any cousins of our own, but 
maybe they’d adopt us too, like you did ; then we’d 
know what it feels like to have real relations.” 

“ Suppose you write Lorene. I think she would 
enjoy getting letters from a little girl so near 
her own age.” 

“ That would be nice, s ’posing I liked to write 
letters,” Peace assented, “ but I don’t. I’ll send 


54 


THE LILAC LADY 


her a Christmas present, though ; and a valentine 
when it comes time, and a birthday gift, too. She 
will like that, won’t she? What street does she 
live on in Chicago? It’ll have to go pretty soon 
if it gets there in time for Christmas. That’s 
only a week off. Mercy! What a lot of work 
we’ll have to do before then, getting ready for 
the parties. I do love parties! But I don’t see 
what you wanted to make two for. One would 
have been a plenty, and not near so much work. ’ ’ 
Mrs. Campbell laughed comfortably. “ The 
house isn’t large enough to accommodate all we 
want to invite, so we had to make two parties. 
Besides, the evening party is a sort of ‘coming 
out’ affair for my older girls — ” 

“ Coming out of what? ” 

“ Oh, introducing them into college society — ” 
“ And we littler girls ain’t worth coming out 
for? Is that it? ” 

“ Oh dear no! But little girls don’t come out 
into society. They have to wait until they are 
grown up. Even Gail and Faith are too young 
for the social whirl as the world understands that 
phrase. They must wait until they are through 
with school and college life before they take up 
social duties. But they have met so very few 
of our young people since coming here to Martin- 
dale to live that we are giving this party to intro- 
duce them to their own classmates really. Do 
you understand now? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


55 


Peace did not, but she vaguely felt that she 
ought to, so she bobbed her head slowly and fell 
to puzzling over the queer ways of the world. 
Fortunately for the whole household, the last 
week of preparation for the holiday season was 
a very busy one, so Peace had little time to think 
of all these perplexing questions ; and when 
Christmas Day dawned at length, everyone 
thought she had forgotten her grievance over not 
being invited to attend the evening party for the 
older sisters. But Peace remembered, and in the 
gray of the early dawn before anyone else was 
awake in the great house, the door of the flag 
room burst open with a jerk and a joyous voice 
shrieked through the gloom: 

“ What have you got in your stockings, girls? 
Mine is stuffed so full it fell off the nail, and one 
chair and half the dresser is loaded with the left- 
over packages. And Allee’s got as many as I 
have. There’s a doll for each of us — they beat 
yours all hollow, Cherry. Now we’ve got a God- 
dess of Liberty all our own and you can have 
yours as soon as ever you want it. And I’ve got 
seven books. Guess Santa must have mixed me 
up with you again, Cherry. There are three puz- 
zles and five games and a lot of handkerchiefs 
and ribbons, two sashes, and oh, the loveliest 
white dress for winter wear, all trimmed with the 
softest velvet — just the thing for your party to- 
night, Faith, s ’posing I was invited. And there ’s 


56 


THE LILAC LADY 


a plaid dress and a plain red one and a brown 
one and a dark bine — six in all — and two coats. 
Two! Think of that! Mercy, ain’t we rich now? 
Are you awake, all of you? Are you listening? 
Ain’t this different from last year? ” 

Ah, how well they all remembered that last 
Christmas, and what a hymn of praise and thanks- 
giving went up from each of those six hearts 
for the joy and good tidings this Christmas had 
brought them! 

Before Peace had finished shouting her catalog 
of gifts, the other sisters were awake — and in- 
deed, the whole household was astir — examining 
the generous remembrances loving hands had 
heaped around their beds as they slept. And 
what a merry time they made of it ! Gussie could 
scarcely prevail upon anyone to touch her tempt- 
ing breakfast, for excitement had dulled the usu- 
ally hearty appetites ; the young folks found their 
treasures more alluring than any breakfast table 
could possibly be, and the President and his wife 
hovered over them to enjoy the sight of their joy. 

“A body’d think they had never seen a 
Christmas Day before,” muttered Marie, waiting 
impatiently in her snowy cap and apron to serve 
the rapidly cooling breakfast. 

“ It’s many a long day since they have seen 
one like this,” said Gussie loyally, smiling grate- 
fully as she thought of the liberal number of pack- 
ages old Santa had left hanging to her door dur- 


THE LILAC LADY 


57 


ing the night. But at length the meal was ended, 
Marie had carried the dishes away, Jud appeared 
with a step-ladder and hammer, and the younger 
trio were banished upstairs to amuse themselves 
until the last of the party decorations were put 
in place. This was not a hard thing to do, fortu- 
nately, and for once not one of them raised any 
objection to being exiled in this fashion. 

“ Why, I’ve enough things of my own to look 
at and think about to last me a week,” Cherry 
breathed ecstatically. 

“ Yes, and s ’posing you did get tired of that,” 
spoke up Peace, “ there’s all the rest of the girls’ 
bundles to ’xamine. They’ve each got a hun- 
dred ’most near, I sh’d think.” 

So for a long time they fluttered from room to 
room, admiring the pretty things that were now 
their own, nibbling chocolate drops, or discussing 
the party scheduled for two o’clock that after- 
noon. Then gradually conversation flagged ; each 
girl sought a favorite retreat, and surrounded by 
her pile of belongings, sat down to gloat over 
them. Silence fell upon the rooms, broken only 
by the sound of rustling ribbons caressed by ad- 
miring hands, the opening and shutting of boxes, 
the fluttering of story-book leaves, the protesting 
squeak of Queen Helen’s bisque arms and legs, 
and the rattle of mysterious puzzles. 

Cherry had retired to her own domain to regale 
herself with certain tempting volumes, and Peace 


58 


THE LILAC LADY 


and Allee were alone in the flag room when the 
older girl suddenly dropped the book in which 
she had been lost for a full half hour, and said 
eagerly, “ Allee, this is the most interesting story 
I ever read. It tells how the little Swede chil- 
dren give the birds a Christmas. Think of that! 
The birds ! We tried to make it happy for every- 
one we knew — Jud and Gussie and Marie and the 
dirty chimney-sweep who goes by here every 
morning, and the washwoman who lives in the 
alley, and the milk-boy who comes so far through 
the cold to bring us our milk, and Caspar Dodds ’ 
family — and — and — all of them; and we even re- 
membered the canary and the dogs, but we never 
thought of the birds outdoors.” 

“ No, we didn’t,” Allee agreed, pausing in her 
occupation of undressing the gorgeous Queen 
Helen to stare fixedly at her sister as if trying 
to fathom her thoughts. u We might ask Gussie 
for some crumbs. It ain’t too late yet.” 

“ Crumbs wouldn’t do at all. The book says 
they tie a sheaf of wheat to a tall pole in the yard 
so the birds will see it and come down and eat. 
See, there is the picture.” 

“ Um-hm. But we haven’t any tall pole in our 
yard, ’cept the flag-pole and that’s on the roof.” 

“ No, we haven’t any pole like the book shows, 
but we could hitch the wheat on our balcony-rail 
knobs and when the birds came down to get it, we 
could watch them from this window. See V 9 


THE LILAC LADY 


59 


“ Where’ll you get the wheat? ” 

“ From the barn. Jud’s got a lot of different 
kinds of grain out there/ ’ 

“ But we can’t go downstairs until party time. 
Even lunch is to be brought up here, grandma 
said.” 

“ That’s so. But I don’t think they’d care if 
we just slipped down the stairs and straight out 
of the front door. It wouldn’t take us hut a 
minute to get the wheat and come right hack 
again . 9 9 

“ Grandma said if we went downstairs before 
she gave us leave, we couldn’t go to the party at 
all.” 

“ Then how can we feed those birds? ” 

‘ 1 I guess we can’t feed them this year — ’nless 
we do it tomorrow.” 

“ Tomorrow won’t be Christmas. We’ve got 
to do it today. Just think how nice it will be to 
play we are little Swedes and how pleased Gus- 
sie’ll be to think we did something her people 
do.” 

“ Why do just Swedes feed the birds? ” in- 
quired Allee, still a trifle dubious about entering 
into Peace’s plan, in view of the risk involved. 

“ Oh, I s’pose they thought of it first. Every 
kind of people do something queer at Christmas 
which they call a custom. The Holland children 
put out their shoes on Christmas Eve for Santa 


CO THE LILAC LADY 

Claus to fill, instead of hanging up their stock- 
ings. ” 

“ Their shoes? ” Allee’s eyes were as round 
as saucers with astonishment. 

“ Yes. They wear big, wooden boats for shoes. 
I guess their feet must be extra big — anyway, 
their shoes are simply e-mense and will hold a 
lot. Then there’s the French people , — they al- 
ways save up all the fusses and scraps they have 
had with other folks during the year, and on 
Christmas Day they go around and get forgiven. 
Wonder what Gail would think of that! And the 
Irish folks s{ay up all night to hear the horses 
talk.” 

“ Peace, you’re fooling! ” 

“ Allee Greenfield, do I ever fool you? ” 

“ N — o, you never have.” 

“ And I ain’t beginning now. That is just 
what this book says.” 

“ But horses don’t talk! ” 

“ Only at Christmas time.” 

“ I don’t b’lieve they do then. Did you ever 
hear them? ” 

“ N — o, but I’m going to stay up tonight and 
listen.” 

“ Oh, we can’t. This is party night and what 
would grandma say? ” 

“ We’ll never know if they talk unless we do 
stay up and listen — and I’d like to find out what 
they say. It’s jusx at midnight. That ain’t long. 


THE LILAC LADY 


01 


We go to bed at eight, and midnight is only twelve 
o’clock. We could stay awake easy till then, 
’cause the people who are invited will be leaving 
just about that time. I heard grandma say so. 
We’ll just slip away to the barn and see if Duke 
and Charley are talking, and then we’ll come back 
before anyone knows we’re gone.” 

The plan was truly very fascinating, but Allee 
still looked very doubtful, and after a silent mo- 
ment Peace broke out in an aggrieved tone, “ I 
don’t see what is the matter with you, Allee. You 
are getting to be just like Cherry. She always 
sets down on my plans. You won’t help me hang 
up the wheat for the Swedes or listen to the Irish 
horses. You never used to be like that.” 

“ I will too help you! ” cried Allee, hurt at 
her boon companion’s words and tone. “ I’ll do 
anything you want me to, only I don’t see how 
we can carry out either one of those. We’ll 
surely get scolded if we go downstairs now, and 
it would be dreadful if we couldn’t go to either 
party.” 

Peace walked to the balcony window and threw 
up the sash, murmuring, “ If only grandpa 
hadn’t made us promise not to slide down the 
pillars! Oh, I’ve got it, Allee! Look here! ” 

Allee scrambled up from the floor and hurried 
to her side, shivering in the cold blast that blew 
in through the open window, bearing with it a few 
feathery flakes, for it was trying hard to snow. 


62 


THE LILAC LADY 


u See that piece of the wall that sticks out there, 
and — ” 

“ But how can you walk on that little mite of 
a piece ? ’ ’ gasped Allee, growing pale at the very 
thought. “ And how would you get down to the 
ground? ” 

“ Oh, that’s easy! The rain-pipe is fastened 
just high enough for me to hang onto, and ’sides, 
the trellis goes part of the way to the porch roof, 
and Jud hasn’t taken down the ladder he put up 
there yesterday.” 

“ Yes, but s ’posing you should fall,” wailed 
Allee in sudden terror, for the water-pipe looked 
like a very frail support even for a child as small 
and light of foot as was Peace, and the corner 
with the projecting porch roof seemed so far 
away. 

“ There’s snow on the ground. I wouldn’t get 
hurt. But you needn’t think I’m going to fall. 
I’ve clum lots harder places than that before. 
You stay here and when I get back you can tack 
up the wheat on the rail post.” 

Carefully she stepped out on the balcony, 
slipped over the low railing and set out on her 
perilous journey along the narrow coping, cling- 
ing tightly to the rain-trough with one hand, and 
hanging onto the trellis supports with the other 
till at last she was safe on the porch roof at the 
corner. With an exultant shout she turned and 
waved her hand at rigid, white-lipped Allee in the 


THE LILAC LADY 


63 


window, then slid lightly down the ladder and otu. 
of sight. She was gone a long time, and the smab 
watcher above was becoming alarmed at her stay, 
fearing that the daring acrobat had been caught 
at her pranks, and wondering what punishment 
would befall her in such an event, when the bare, 
brown head appeared over the low porch roof 
once more, and Peace inquired in a worried tone, 
“ Do you know whether birds eat hay? ’Cause I 
can’t find any whole wheat out there. It’s all 
shocked. ’ ’ 

“ Why, I never watched them long enough to 
see,” began Allee, eyeing the great twisted wisp 
the older child had in her hand. 

“ Well, I brought some grain, too, but I don’t 
know how we can tie that to a pole, ’nless we 
leave it in the bag, and then how can the birds 
get at it? ” 

“ We might throw it along the rail — it’s wide 
enough to hold quite a little — ” 

“ Course! What a nijut I am not to think of 
that myself ! ’ ’ 

Slinging the bag of grain over one arm, and 
still clutching the hay firmly in the other hand, 
she began her slow creeping along the coping 
back to the balcony window. The rain-pipe shook 
threateningly under her weight, and even the trel- 
lis supports swayed uncomfortably when once she 
slipped and almost lost her frail footing. Allee 
gave a low moan of horror and shut her eyes, but 


64 


THE LILAC LADY 


the daring climber did not fall, and when next the 
watcher looked, she beheld the curly, brown head 
bobbing over the balcony rail, as Peace swung up 
to safety beside her, and. dropped the burden — 
the birds’ Christmas dinner — into her trembling 
hands. 

Nor was Allee the only one who trembled. On 
the snowy walk below, approaching the house with 
rapid strides, came the dignified President, hand 
in hand with two children, a bright-eyed, black- 
haired boy of perhaps a dozen years, and an 
under-sized, gipsy-like little girl, both chattering 
like magpies as they raced along beside the tall, 
erect old man, when suddenly the girl screamed 
faintly, “ Oh, Uncle Donald, look! ” 

But he had caught sight of the apparition even 
before she spoke, and halted abruptly, breathless- 
ly, terror clutching at his heart. The boy fol- 
lowed the gaze of his two petrified companions, 
and ejaculated in amazed admiration, “ Golly, 
but she’s got grit! Why, Uncle Donald, that’s 
your house! That must be one of the girls you 
were telling us about. Is it Peace 1 ’ ’ 

The President nodded his head mechanically, 
not knowing that he had heard the question, but 
the next moment the frozen horror of his face 
melted. The climber had reached the balcony 
and was unconcernedly scattering a handful of 
grain over the narrow railing, while Allee secure- 
ly bound the wisp of hay to the balcony post. 


THE LILAC LADY 


65 


A great sigh of relief escaped the watchers be- 
low, their hearts began to beat once more and the 
red blood pounded through their veins. 

“ Oh,” gasped the girl, “ I thought sure she’d 
fall! ” 

‘ ‘ I didn ’t, ’ ’ declared the boy with a wise shake 
of his head. “ She’s a reg’lar cat. I believe she 
could climb a wall. She’s like that ‘ human fly’ 
the papers are always telling about. I’d like 
jolly well to see him do some of his stunts, you 
better believe! ” 

The President said nothing, but his mouth set 
in grim lines and a look of determination replaced 
the fearful pallor of his face. Forgetful of the 
guests he had in tow, he marched into the house 
and straight up the stairway with the children 
still at his heels. At the door of the flag room 
he knocked, then without waiting for a summons 
from within, he entered. 

The two scatterers of Christmas cheer had fin- 
ished their w T ork by this time and were now glee- 
fully watching the feathered folk of the air set- 
tling about the unexpected repast, so they scarce- 
ly heard the steps in the hall or the creak of the 
opening door. But at the peculiar sound of the 
voice speaking to them, both girls wheeled quick- 
ly, and Peace asked in guilty haste, “ Did you 
want us, grandpa? ” 

“ Yes, come here, both of you.” 

They went and stood at his knee, a secret fear 


5 


66 


THE LILAC LADY 


tugging at each little heart as they saw the unusu- 
ally stern look he bent upon them. 

“ Is — is — what — why — ,” stammered Peace, 
wishing he would smile a little to relieve the keen- 
ness of his glance. 

“ What were you doing just now? ” 

“ Feeding the birds like the Swedes do on 
Christmas Pay, only we didn’t have a pole to 
hitch our wheat to, and all our wheat was in ker- 
nels anyway, and we were told not to go down- 
stairs until Jud and the girls were through 
dec ’rating, so we clum out of the window and I 
got some hay and grain just as slick! Don’t the 
birds look as if they were enjoying their Christ- 
mas dinner? ” Peace rattled on, speaking so rap- 
idly that the words fairly tumbled out of her 
mouth. 

“ Didn’t I tell you when you chose this room 
for your own that you would forfeit it the first 
time you used the window for the stairway? ” 

“ No, grandpa,” came the astounding reply 
from both eager little girls. “ You said porch 
pillars , and we have never used them for stair- 
ways since the time we told you about. We 
’membered that carefully, and this time we used 
that wide piece that sticks out of the wall, and 
then clum down Jud’s ladder from the back porch 
roof. That ain’t the balcony pillars, grandpa. 
You never said we couldn’t go down that way.” 

In absolute amazement the learned Doctor of 


THE LILAC LADY 


67 


Laws gazed long and silently into the anxious, 
upturned faces. Allee’s lips began to tremble, 
and even Peace, remembering the Doctor’s 
words in regard to lickings the night of the sur- 
prise party in the little brown house, shook in 
her shoes ; but she steadfastly returned his gaze, 
and quietly repeated, “ You know you didn’t, 
grandpa! ” 

“ No,” he said at last. “ I did not forbid your 
going down that way, but it was only because I 
never dreamed you or anyone else would ever 
try such a feat.” Suddenly his sternness van- 
ished, he stooped quickly and gathered the scared 
little souls in his arms, choking huskily, “ My 
little girlies, if you knew what a fright you have 
given your old grandpa — ” 

“ Oh, grandpa,” quavered Allee from her re- 
treat on his shoulder, “ we’ll never do it again, 
truly! ” 

“ And you vron’t take this darling room away 
from us this time, will you? ” wheedled Peace, 
her equilibrium restored at sight of this unusual 
display of emotion. 

“ No,” he promised, “ not this time. We’ll 
try you again, but remember — no more window 
climbing of any kind.” 

11 Not even out onto the balcony? ” wailed 
Peace in dismay. 

There was a sound of suppressed laughter 
from the hall, and as the girls in the flag room 


THE LILAC LADT 


06 

whirled about to discover the cause, the Presi- 
dent suddenly remembered his hew guests and 
rose hurriedly to his feet. But Peace had reached 
the door in a bound and with a cry of delight 
dragged forth the embarrassed strangers, ex- 
claiming, u It’s Henderson and Lorene, grandpa! 
They look ’xactly like their picture, don’t they, 
only not quite so grumpy? Grandma said I bet- 
ter write Lorene and I did and I invited her to 
come up for my party. That’s how they happen 
to be here. Now we’ll get acquainted with our 
relations, won’t we? I invited Belle, too. Why 
didn’t she come? ” 

11 Belle and mamma went to Evanston last 
week,” Lorene explained bashfully. 

“ And they let you come all alone? ” 

“ They don’t know yet that we aren’t in Chi- 
cago,” chuckled Henderson. “ Dad let us come. 
It’s only a twelve-hour ride and we don’t change 
cars at all. Pooh! We’ve gone longer ways than 
that alone.” 

‘ ‘ But not when mamma knew it,” supple- 
mented Lorene. “ She’d have insisted upon 
sending Nurse with us — if she had let us come at 
all. Where shall we put our wraps? It’s hot in 
here.” 

‘ ‘ Oh, I forgot ! ’ ’ cried Peace, abruptly recalled 
to her duties as hostess, for dazed Dr. Campbell 
had gone in search of his wife the minute he saw 
that the children were sufficiently introduced. 


THE LILAC LADY 


69 


“ Hang your coat on the hall-tree, Henderson; 
and Lorene, bring your things in here. It ’s pretty 
near lunch time already, and then we must dress 
for the party.’ ’ 

So in spite of their very unexpected arrival, 
the two strangers received a royal welcome, and 
were soon very much at home with the six merry 
girls whom they promptly adopted as cousins, 
just as Peace had hoped they would. And how 
quickly the hours flew by ! Before anyone realized 
it, the great clock in the hall struck two, and 
promptly the small guests began to arrive. Happy 
voices filled the house, happy faces beamed from 
every corner, happy hearts beat high with Christ- 
mas cheer; the very air seemed charged with 
happiness. The four younger sisters made charm- 
ing hostesses, Grandma Campbell proved to be a 
rare entertainer, and the dignified President won 
everlasting fame as a story-teller and leader in 
games. 

“ Everything was a success,” as Hope thank- 
fully declared when the last guest had departed, 
and the happy group had congregated in grand- 
ma’s room to talk things over while Jud and his 
corps of helpers were setting things to rights for 
the evening party. 

“ Yes,” Peace reluctantly conceded, “ but 
think how much nicer it would have been if we 
could have had it in the evening like grown-up 
folks.” 


70 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Still harping about that? ” laughed Faith, 
pausing in the doorway with her arms full of 
holly wreaths ready to be hung. “ Daytime is 
made for children. Gail and I didn’t intrude 
at your party.” 

“ That ain’t ’cause you wasn’t invited,” Peace 
replied pointedly. 

“ But we couldn’t very well come,” Faith an- 
swered hastily. “ There were so many things 
we had to get ready for our tree tonight.” 

“ Getting things ready for a tree ain’t like hav- 
ing to lie in bed and hear all the noise and music 
and know you can’t have any share at all in 
them,” Peace persisted; but Faith had already 
vanished down the stairway, and only a tantaliz- 
ing laugh floated hack in reply. 

A hush fell over the little company in the cosy 
room, each busy with happy thoughts or rosy 
day-dreams, as she stared at the glowing embers 
in the great fireplace or watched the white flakes 
drifting down through the early twilight outside. 
Then there was a firm step on the stair, a cheery 
voice from the hallway broke the spell, and six 
pair of eyes were lifted to greet the busy Presi- 
dent as he briskly entered the room and paused 
to survey the pretty scene. 

“ Well, well,” he said bluffly, “ what’s the dif- 
ficulty? Quarrelling? ” 

“ No, sir! ” they shouted emphatically. 

“ We were just thinking — ” Henderson began. 


THE LILAC LADY 


71 


“ How nice it would be if little folks were in- 
vited to grown-np parties/ ’ finished Peace, who 
seemed possessed of only that one idea. 

“ That’s just what I have been thinking, too,” 
was the surprising confession from the tall man 
on the hearth rug. 

“ Wh-at! ” 

“ Well, when mother and I came to think over 
the subject seriously, we both agreed that it did 
not seem exactly fair to put three, no, four such 
charming little maids to bed — for of course Lo- 
rene would share your fate, too — when there were 
to be such festive doings downstairs, although 
neither one of us believes in late hours for chil- 
dren. I presume we are very old-fashioned in 
some things — ” 

“ No, you aren’t,” chorused the loyal girls. 

“ No? True patriots! And yet didn’t you 
think grandma and I were just the least teenty 
bit hard on you to make you go to bed at the 
regulation hours tonight when it is Christmas? ” 

“ W-e-11, we would like awfully much to stay 
up and see if Gail and Faith do as good enter- 
taining their comp’ny as we did,” confessed 
Peace with unusual hesitation. 

“ Supposing I should tell you that we have de- 
cided to let you stay up an hour or two longer?” 

“ Oh, grandpa, what a darling you are! ” 

“ No, you must thank Faith. She begged so 
hard that we have had to give in to satisfy her.” 


72 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Faith ?” Peace was so completely dumb- 
founded that they had to laugh at her. 

“ Yes, dear, Faith. She says you are so dread- 
fully anxious to see what a grown-up Christmas 
party is like that she is afraid you will die of 
curiosity if you can’t have that wish fulfilled.’ ’ 

“ Grandpa, you are just joking,” Cherry re- 
proved. 

“ I am thoroughly in earnest, I assure you. To 
be sure, Faith used somewhat different words, 
but she sympathized so heartily with you that we 
decided to let you enjoy part of the evening’s 
program. In fact, the only reason we planned 
two parties in the first place was because the old 
house wouldn’t hold at one time all we wanted 
to invite ; and we thought it would be a great deal 
easier to entertain our guests if we had the big 
folks at one party and the little people at an- 
other. Do you understand now? ” 

“ Yes, and I’ll bet you’ve been figuring on let- 
ting us go all the while we were stewing about 
it,” cried Peace, the irrepressible. 

“ Maybe you are right,” he chuckled. 

She bounced off the floor with a squeal of de- 
light, clutched Allee with one hand and Lorene 
with the other, and rushed out of the room, call- 
ing back over her shoulder, “ Now, I’m sur- 
blimely happy! You better go dress, Cherry! 
Dinner will soon be ready and there won’t be 
much time after that before the party begins. ’ ’ 


THE LILAC LADY 


73 


They had been happy before, but the granting 
of this one dear wish transported them to such 
heights of bliss that they seemed to be walking on 
clouds, and went about in such a state of rapture 
that it was ludicrous as well as delightful to be- 
hold their antics. 

Evening came, the guests arrived, music 
sounded, carols were sung, and Peace, entranced, 
moved about through the gay, light-hearted 
throng like one in a dream. To be sure, it was 
just as the President had prophesied — little at- 
tention was paid to the children of the party, but 
it was glorious fun just to watch the changing 
scenes and be a part of them, instead of lying 
tucked away in bed upstairs listening with ever- 
increasing curiosity and longing to the sounds 
of merrymaking below. 

With a happy sigh of content at the realiza- 
tion of her great ambition, Peace dropped down 
upon a pile of cushions by one of the long French 
windows, leaned her forehead against the cool 
pane and looked out into the night, where by 
the flickering light of the street-lamps she could 
see the white snowflakes drifting slowly, lazily 
downward. 

“ My, but hasn’t this been a happy Christ- 
mas! ” she said aloud, though no one was near 
enough to hear her words. “ Who’d ever have 
thought last Christmas that we’d be here tonight? 
Do you s’pose the angels know we don’t live in 


74 


THE LILAC LADY 


Parker any more? We might set a lamp in the 
window so’s they’d see it and be sure. Gail says 
mother always did that when papa was out after 
night, so he could find his way home all right. 
I’ll tell Allee and when we go to bed we’ll just 
remind the angels that we don’t need so much 
looking after now that we’re living here. I’ll 
never forget how s ’prised Hec Abbott was when 
he found out that we’d all been ’dopted together. 
I wonder what Hec is doing about now? He can’t 
brag any more about the good times they have 
at his house. We are just — what in the world is 
that coming up the steps? ” 

Mechanically she rose to her feet, her nose still 
pressed flat against the window-pane as she stud- 
ied the huge, misshapen figure already on the 
wide veranda. The footman who had ushered in 
the guests of the evening was at that moment 
occupied in fastening up a strand of evergreen 
which had fallen close above a gas-jet; the Presi- 
dent was at the furthest corner of the great par- 
lor engaged in an animated discussion with a 
pale-faced professor of Greek; and Mrs. Camp- 
bell was nowhere in sight. With a wildly beating 
heart, Peace seized the door-knob, and not waiting 
for the queer stranger outside to ring the bell, 
she flung wide the door and confronted him. 

“ Why, it’s Santa Claus! ” they heard her say, 
for the sudden sharp blast of winter air had 
drawn a crowd to the door to see what had hap- 


THE LILAC LADY 


75 


pened. “ Don’t you know, sir, that you can’t 
come in this way? Go up to the roof and climb 
down the chimbley, like you do at other houses,” 
she commanded, and in the face of the amazed 
Saint Nick she slammed the door. 

“ Peace, what have you done? ” cried Gail 
aghast, as she caught a glimpse of the fat, knobby 
pack disappearing down the steps. 

“ It was just that Santa Claus forgot to go 
down the chimbley she explained. “ He ought 
to have remembered that! ” 

A shout from the adjoining room cut short her 
defense, and as the crowd surged forward in that 
direction, she beheld the jolly old Saint shuffling 
across the floor dragging his heavy pack which 
certainly looked as sooty and dirty as if he had 
really plunged down the tall chimney and through 
the fireplace. Straight to her corner he came, 
and fumbling in his sack, drew forth a tiny statue 
of the Goddess of Liberty, which he presented 
with an elaborate bow, saying in a deep, rumbling 
voice, “ To the defender of all childhood tradi- 
tions — Liberty enlightening the world! ” His 
words were greeted with mad applause, for by 
this time everyone had heard the story of the flag 
room and peeped at its quaint furnishings; but 
the laugh was quickly turned from one to another, 
for St. Nick had remembered well the pet foibles 
of each guest present, and had brought with him 
appropriate gifts for all. 


76 


THE LILAC LADY 


Much, too soon the hands of the clock crept 
around to the hour of half past ten, and with 
sighs of resignation and disappointment, the four 
smaller girls, Cherry, Peace, Lorene and Allee, 
slipped quietly away to bed. 

u I did so want to hear the rest of the carols,” 
murmured Cherry, yawning so widely that she 
nearly swallowed the rest of the exiled group. 

“ We can hear them after we’re in bed,” said 
Peace, rubbing her eyes which were growing very 
heavy in spite of her efforts to stay awake. 
“ Gussie promised to leave our doors open until 
time for the folks to go home. It’s the charades 
I wanted to see.” 

“ Charades? ” questioned Lorene. “ Were they 
going to have charades, too? ” 

“ She means tableaux,” explained Cherry. 
“ She’s crazy about them. They make me cough 
too much — the lights they use, I mean. Come on, 
Lorene, sleep with me tonight until Hope comes 
up to bed. Do, please ! It isn’t fair for you three 
to stick in here and leave me all by myself in the 
other room.” 

Lorene glanced hesitatingly from one sister to 
the other, and seeing no opposition, answered, 
“ All right, Cherry, I’ll stay with you till the 
folks go. You don’t care, do you, girls? ” 

“ Not for that long,” Peace magnanimously 
replied, for a daring plan had just popped her 
eyes wide open, and Lorene might hinder its ful- 


THE LILAC LADY 


77 


fillment. So they separated, and in a few short 
moments four white-robed figures were tucked 
snugly under the coverlets, the lights turned 
out, and the two doors left ajar that the sleepy 
exiles might hear the strains of music floating 
up the wide staircase. There was the soft sound 
of whispered words from bed to bed like the 
sleepy twitterings of birdlings in their nests, and 
then silence. Cherry and Lorene were fast asleep. 
Downstairs the carols ceased, the wail of violin 
and guitar died away, and the murmur of voices 
was again borne to the straining ears of the con- 
spirators in the flag room. 

“ Do you s’pose they have begun tableauing? ” 
asked Allee, after what seemed an eternity of 
listening. 

“ Not yet; they have lights. There, that must 
be one. See how queer the hall looks through the 
crack of the door? I guess it’s time now. Come 
on, but be awful still. ’ ^ 

1 i It’s cold after being in that warm bed,” pro- 
tested Allee as her bare feet touched the polished 
floor in the hall. 

“ We’ll get some wraps in here,” Peace an- 
swered, inspired by a happy thought to seize upon 
two beautiful white opera robes belonging to some 
of the guests below, and with these heavy gar- 
ments trailing behind them, they stole softly down 
the wide stairway almost to the landing, where, 
out of sight from the company massed in the 


78 


THE LILAC LADY 


parlor and adjoining rooms, they could still see 
the tableaux taking place in the reception hall 
below. 

Fortunately for their health’s sake, this part 
of the program was brief, and had it not been 
for the very last scene pictured, no one would 
have dreamed of their presence behind the pal- 
ings. But it happened that the girls had chosen 
as a climax for the evening the tableau of the first 
Christmas Eve; and Hope, arrayed as the angel 
of good tidings, appeared on the stairs just as 
Jud touched off the weird red light on the land- 
ing, — for neither actor nor servant had discovered 
the hidden culprits until too late to utter any 
words of warning or reproof. Startled beyond 
measure at the sudden glow almost at their elbow, 
the two conspirators scrambled to their feet and 
vanished hastily up the stairway as the chorus 
below took up the song, 

“Angels ascending and descending, 

Chanted the wond’rous refrain, 

‘Glory to God in the Highest, 

Peace and good will toward men.’ ” 

The long, fur-lined opera cloaks streamed out 
behind them like misty clouds in the unearthly 
glow of the sulphur light, and it seemed as if they 
were really a part of the beautiful tableau, which 
brought forth such thunderous applause from the 



“Do you s’pose they have begun tableauing?” asked Allee, 
after what seemed an eternity of listening. 











THE LILAC LADY 


79 


delighted audience that it had to be repeated. 
This Peace and Allee did not know, however, for 
with chattering teeth and trembling limbs, they 
had fled to the refuge of their room, pausing only 
long enough to drop their borrowed finery where 
they had found it ; and they were crawling under- 
neath the covers once more when Peace hissed 
sharply in her sister’s ear, “ What about the 
horses? ” 

“ What’s the matter with them? ” murmured 
Allee, too confused and sleepy to know what her 
companion was saying. 

“We were going out to hear them talk at mid- 
night. ’ ’ 

“So we were! Well, I guess they’ll have to 
talk all to themselves again tonight.” 

“ What? Ain’t you going out with me to 
listen? ” 

“ We’d freeze in our nightgowns and we dah- 
sent take those pussy-cat coats to the barn,” pro- 
tested the younger sister, aroused by Peace’s sur- 
prised exclamation. 

“ We’ll dress.” 

“ Oh, Peace, and then have the fun of taking 
our clothes off again? ” 

“ We’ll put on our stockings and overshoes and 
bundle up in grandma’s shawls. How’ll that do? 
But first, we better light that candle I told you 
about to let the angels know where we are to- 
night. There — I guess they’ll see it, even if it 


80 


THE LILAC LADY 


isn’t as big as a lamp. Come on, I heard the clock 
strike a long time ago.” 

If Allee had not been so sleepy she might have 
remembered one other time just a year before 
when Peace had heard the clock strike ; but being 
too near the land of Nod to realize anything bnt 
that Peace was calling her, she stumbled out of 
bed once more and allowed herself to be bundled 
up in wraps of all sorts until she was as shapeless 
as a mummy. In this fashion they slipped down 
the back stairs and out to the barn without be- 
traying their presence, though the steps creaked 
under their weight, and every door they opened 
squeaked so alarmingly that Peace held her 
breath more than once for fear someone had 
heard. 

Once inside the dark barn, they had to feel 
their way about, for not a ray of light penetrated 
the blackness of the stormy night, and the grim 
silence of the place filled them with nameless 
terror. It was not so bad when they had finally 
found their way into Marmaduke’s stall and cud- 
dled close to the friendly beast, who nosed them 
inquiringly, but even there they did not dare 
speak above a whisper ; and so they waited 
breathlessly for the mystic midnight hour when 
the animals should break their silence and talk, 
each secretly wishing she were safely back in 
bed again. 

Up at the house the merry evening had at 


THE LILAC LADY 


81 


length drawn to a close, and the guests had reluc- 
tantly departed. The President, returning from 
the gate where he had escorted the last guest to 
her sleigh, made a harrowing discovery. There 
was a light in the balcony window ! Could it he 
that burglars had entered the house during the 
merrymaking and were even now ransacking the 
rooms? He looked again. It was such a tiny, 
steady light. Was it possible that one of the chil- 
dren was sick and Gussie had not told him? The 
last thought sent him flying up the stairs three 
steps at a time, and he reached the flag room door 
so breathless that he could scarcely turn the knob. 
The bed was empty. Only a wee taper from the 
Christmas tree burned faintly on the window sill. 

In frantic haste he called the family and they 
searched the house from garret to cellar, hut the 
missing children were not to he found. 

“ Do you suppose the tableau scared them to 
death? ” asked Hope. 

‘ ‘ Maybe they tried to see if Santa Claus really 
came down the chimney and got stuck there them- 
selves/ y suggested Henderson, who regarded the 
disappearance of the duet as something of a lark. 

“ Wake Jud,” commanded Mrs. Campbell, and 
the worried Doctor hastily lighted a lantern and 
went down to the barn to rouse the man of all 
work, wondering as he did so what good that 
would do. The horses whinnied as he entered 
the stable, and in the dim light that flooded the 


6 


82 


THE LILAC LADY 


place, the President saw that the door of Marma- 
duke’s stall stood open. 

“ What can Jud be thinking of? ” he muttered 
somewhat testily, stepping along to slip the bolt 
in its place, hut the next instant his eyes fell 
upon two dark bundles huddled at the horse’s 
feet, and with a startled exclamation he bent over 
to examine his find, just as Faith burst in through 
the door behind him, crying, “ They must have 
left the house, grandpa, because the hack hall 
door is unlocked and the storm-door is swinging.” 

“ Yes, Faith, and here they are,” he answered, 
tenderly lifting the smaller warm bundle and de- 
positing it in the girl’s arms. “ What in creation 
do you suppose they were doing here? ” 

As if in answer to his question, the brown eyes 
of the child he was just lifting fluttered slowly 
open, and Peace drowsily drawled, “ We fed the 
Swede birds for Gussie, and got French forgive- 
ness from grandpa for doing so, and had a Ger- 
man Christmas tree, and lots of Hung’ry com- 
pany, and ’Merican stockings and a ’Merican 
Santa Claus, hut we didn’t hear the Irish horses 
talk, and I b’lieve it’s all a joke.” 

In spite of their anxiety, Faith and the Presi- 
dent gave a boisterous shout, and Peace heard as 
in a dream her sister’s voice saying, “ It is 
Christmas Eve that the animals are supposed to 
talk. Poor Peace! ” 


CHAPTER IV 


A ZEALOUS LITTLE MISSIONARY 

Strange as it may seem, neither child felt any 
ill effects from that midnight escapade, but the 
next morning they awoke as chipper and gay as 
if there were no such thing as after-Christmas 
feelings. They even forgot the lonely vigil in 
the stable in their dismay at the discovery that 
Lorene had slept all night with Cherry instead of 
returning to their room as she had promised to 
do. An after-breakfast summons to the Presi- 
dent *s study brought their pranks vividly to mind 
again, however, and with considerable trepidation 
they saw the heavy door close behind them, shut- 
ting them in alone with the grave-eyed man, for 
they stood much in awe of the learned Doctor 
when that stern look replaced the usual bluff 
kindliness of his face. 

The conference was exceedingly brief and to 
the point, judging from the sober, wilted little 
culprits who pattered up the stairway a few min- 
utes later and silently sought the flag room. Hen- 
derson and the girls were consumed with curios- 
ity to know the result of the interview, and their 
amazement knew no bounds when the disgraced 


83 


THE LILAC LADY 


$4 

duet vanished within their quiet retreat and 
turned the key in the lock. After waiting in vain 
fifteen minutes for them to reappear Lorene 
crossed the hall and knocked timidly at the closed 
door. There was no answer. She tried again, 
this time with more vim, but with no better suc- 
cess. Then she called, hut not a sound from with- 
in greeted her straining ear. Cherry and Hope 
each took a turn, and Henderson pounded his 
fists sore without receiving a single word of reply 
from the prisoners. 

“ I believe they have climbed out of the win- 
dow^ ’ he cried at last in exasperation. 

“ No, they promised grandpa not to. I guess 
maybe they’ve been sent to bed,” said Cherry, 
inwardly thankful that she had not been in the 
latest scrapes. 

Neither was right. But after a time, tiring of 
their efforts to get some sign from the culprits, 
the quartette in the hall dispersed to amuse them- 
selves in some more entertaining manner. No 
sooner had their footsteps died away on the 
stairs, and Peace was convinced in her own mind 
that they had really gone for good, than a change 
came over her. She was sitting erect in a stiff- 
backed chair in one corner of the room, while her 
companion in misery sat huddled in the opposite 
corner, staring at the fresco of flags above her 
head. Both looked dreadfully woe-begone, and as 
if the tears were very near the surface, for pun- 


THE LILAC LADY 


85 


ishment sat heavily upon these two light-hearted 
spirits, particularly as such severe measures did 
not seem necessary or just to them in view of the 
smallness of their sin. However, when the racket 
outside their door finally fell away into silence, 
Peace suddenly gave a little jump of inspiration, 
twisted her feet about the legs of her chair, and 
began a slow, laborious hitching process across 
the red rug toward the tiny dresser. Beaching 
this goal, she jerked open a drawer, rummaged 
out paper and pencil and began a furious 
scratching. 

Allee watched with fascinated eyes, but true to 
her promise to the President in the den below, 
she never said a word, though she was nearly 
bursting with curiosity and it was so hard to keep 
still. After a few moments of rapid scribbling 
on a page of vivid pink stationery, the brown- 
eyed plotter again commenced her queer march 
across the room until she had reached the door, 
unlocked it, and after a hard struggle managed 
to pin the slip to the outside panel. Then with 
a sigh of mingled relief at having accomplished 
her object and resignation at her unjust fate, she 
closed the door once more, and wriggled back to 
her place opposite Allee, never so much as look- 
ing at the eager face questioning hers so mutely. 

Again silence reigned in the pretty room, and 
both girls fell to wondering what the other mem- 
bers of the household were doing. Suppose 


86 


THE LILAC LADY 


Cherry had taken Lorene down to the pond to 
skate. That was what Peace herself had been 
planning on ever since she had looked into the 
small dark face of the child who was only six 
weeks and two days younger than she was. Sup- 
pose Hope had gone with Henderson to coast on 
the hill. He had promised Allee the first ride 
just the night before. Suppose Jud should choose 
this morning to take the girls sleighing as he had 
said he would do when the first heavy snow fell. 

It had stormed all night and the deep mantle of 
white lay tempting and inviting in the bright 
winter sunshine. Oh, dear, what a queer world it 
seemed ! Some people were in trouble all the time 
and some were never bothered with scrapes and 
punishments. There was Hope. Why was it 
Hope never did such outlandish things to cause 
anxiety and dismay to those around her? Hope 
never even thought of the freakish pranks that 
were constantly getting Peace into trouble. 

What was it grandma was always quoting? 
“ Thoughtfulness seeks never to add to another’s 
burdens, never to make extra work or care, but 
always to lighten loads. ’ 9 She said it was because 
Hope was always thinking of beautiful things 
that made folks love to have her near ; that it was 
the mischievous thoughts which cause the misery 
of the world. She said — what did she say? The 
brown eyes winked slower and slower, the brown 
head bent lower and lower. Peace was asleep. 


THE LILAC LADY 


87 


An hour passed, — two. The luncheon bell 
tinkled, the family gathered about the table for 
the mid-day meal, but the chairs on either side 
of the Presidents place were vacant. Glances 
of inquiry flashed from face to face. Were the 
children to be kept in their room all day! 

“ Where are Peace and Allee! ” asked the Doc- 
tor, very much surprised at their absence. 

“ I haven’t seen them since you sent them up- 
stairs this morning,” answered Mrs. Campbell, 
who had been occupied all the forenoon writing a 
paper for the Home Missionary Society which 
was to meet at the parsonage that afternoon. 

A guilty flush overspread the President’s fine 
face, and forgetting to excuse himself from the 
table, he abruptly pushed back his chair and 
strode from the room, muttering remorsefully, 
“ I deserve to be licked! That was three hours 
ago and I promised to call them in an hour.” He 
returned shortly alone, looking very foolish, and 
holding in his hand a square of brilliant pink. 

“ What is it! ” asked his wife, surprised at 
the look on his face. “ Where are the little 
folks? ” 

“ Asleep. They looked so worn out that I put 
them on the bed and left them to have their nap 
out. This is what I found on the door.” 

He dropped the slip of paper into her hands 
as he resumed his seat, and she read in tipsy, 
scrawling letters Peace’s poster: “ It won’t do 


88 


THE LILAC LADY 


enny good to raket or holler to ns. We can’t talk 
for an hour. If yon want to ask queshuns go to 
grandpa he is boss of this roost.” 

She smiled a little tremulously as she passed 
the pathetic scribble to Henderson, sitting at her 
right, but he, being a boy, saw only the funny side 
of the situation, and let out a lusty howl of joy 
as he read aloud the words with much gusto to 
his delighted audience. 

When the laughter had subsided somewhat, the 
President asked ruefully, “ How can I make my 
peace with them? I sent them to their room for 
an hour and promptly forgot all about the affair.” 

“ I’ll take them to the Missionary Meeting 
with me this afternoon,” suggested Mrs. Camp- 
bell, “ and you can come for us with the sleigh. 
Peace has begged to go over ever since she has 
been here. It seems that Mrs. Strong is an en- 
thusiastic missionary worker, and Peace’s great- 
est ambition is to be like her Saint Elspeth.” 

“ So she can find another St. John and marry 
him,” giggled Faith. 

“ Yes. I guess it is hard to decide which one 
of her saints she thinks the most of,” Mrs. Camp- 
bell agreed ; ‘ 4 but I am so glad she has chosen 
such a beautiful couple to pattern her own ideals 
after. Their friendship will do much for our 
little — ” she intended to say “mischief-maker,” 
but this white-haired woman with her mother in- 
stincts seemed to understand that Peace’s mis- 


THE LILAC LADY 


89 


chief was never done for mischief's sake, so she 
changed the word to 4 ‘ sunshine-maker. ’ ' 

Thus it happened that when the brown eyes 
and the blue unclosed after their long nap, they 
looked up into the dear face of their grandmother- 
by-adoption, and saw by her tender smile that 
their punishment was ended. They were sur- 
prised to find how long they had slept, but the 
delight at being allowed to attend a grown-up 
missionary meeting, as Allee called it, overshad- 
owed whatever resentment they might have felt 
at having been forgotten for so long a time, and 
they danced away through the snow beside Mrs. 
Campbell as happy and carefree as the little 
birds which they had fed yesterday. 

The meeting was not as exciting as Peace had 
been led to expect from Mrs. Strong's enthusias- 
tic recitals regarding missionary work, but some 
of the words spoken by the different ladies sank 
very deeply into the children's fertile brains, and 
both were so silent on the homeward journey be- 
hind the flying horses that finally Mrs. Campbell 
ventured to ask, “ Are you tired, girlies? Was 
the meeting a disappointment to you? " 

“ Oh, no," Peace hastened to assure her. “I 
liked it lots, and Allee likes the same things I do, 
don't you, Allee? The women were pretty slow 
about doing things — they talked so long each time 
before they could make up their minds about 
anything. But it's int 'resting to know that at 


90 


THE LILAC LADY 


last they decided to send some barrels to the poor 
ministers in the little places who don ’t get enough 
to live on. ’Twould have been better if they had 
done it before Christmas, though, so’s the chil- 
dren wouldn’t have thought Santa Claus had for- 
gotten them. Do — do you think like Mrs. Mc- 
Gowan — that if we have two coats and someone 
else hasn’t any, we ought to give away one of 
ours? That’s what she said, isn’t it? ” 

“ Yes, that is what she said,” Mrs. Campbell 
agreed; “ and in a large measure I believe her 
doctrine, too. If we have more than we need and 
there are others less fortunate, I think we ought 
to share our blessings. But it takes a lot of good 
sense and tact to do this judicially.” 

“ I think so, too,” answered Peace with such 
a peculiar thrill in her voice that the President, 
at whose side she was sitting, turned and looked 
quizzically at the rapt face. “ I don’t b’lieve 
in talking a lot about giving and then when it 
comes to really doing it, to give just the left-over 
things that ain’t any good to us any longer, and 
wouldn’t be to anyone else, either.” 

“ Why, what do you mean, child? ” the woman 
asked, taken by surprise at such quaint observa- 
tions from the fly-away little maid, whose serious 
thoughts were regarded as jokes even by her own 
family. 

“ Well, there was Mrs. Waddler in Parker. 
She always talked so big that folks who didn’t 


THE LILAC LADY 


91 


know her thought she must have millions of 
money ; but when she came to giving, it was usu ’1 y 
skim milk or some of her husband’s worn-out 
pants.” 

Here the President exploded, but at the same 
instant the horses turned in at the driveway ; and 
in scrambling down from the sleigh Peace forgot 
to press her argument any further. Nor did 
the older folks remember it again for some days. 
Then Mrs. Campbell entered the doctor’s study 
one afternoon with a deep frown on her fore- 
head, and a little note in her hand. 

At the sound of her voice, the busy man paused 
in his writing and glanced up hastily, asking, 
“ What seems to be the difficulty? ” 

“ This letter. I don’t understand it. Mrs. 
Scofield writes a note of regrets because I found 
it impossible to be with them at the last mission- 
ary meeting, and closes by thanking me for my 
generous donation. Now, it happens that just 
before Christmas, I carefully went through all the 
closets of the house, sorted out and hunted up 
all the good, half-worn clothing that we could 
spare, and sent it to the Danbury Hospital for 
distribution among their poor families ; so I sim- 
ply had nothing of value to add to the barrels 
intended for the frontier ministers — ” 

“ Why didn’t you buy something? ” 

‘ ‘ I did ; or, rather, I thought the poor preacher 
might find the money more acceptable than any- 


92 


THE LILAC LADY 


thing I could purchase, so I selected the family 
of Brother Bennet of Idaho, and sent him a check. 
I mailed it to him direct, not wanting to run the 
risk of the barrel being delayed or destroyed. 
I also neglected to inform the ladies of what I 
had done; so I am sure they know nothing about 
it, for it is yet too early to hear from Mr. Bennet 
himself. ’ ’ 

4 4 Maybe it is a case of a little bird’s having 
told the story,” laughed the doctor, taking up his 
pen to resume his writing, and his wife, still 
musing over the strange occurrence, went away 
to receive a caller who had just been announced. 

An hour later she returned to the study looking 
more perplexed than when she had left him be- 
fore, and the President banteringly asked, 
“ Haven’t you found out yet about that generous 
donation? ” 

“ Yes, Donald. Mrs. Haynes has just told me 
the whole story. It was not my donation at all. ’ ’ 

“ Ah, the worthy ladies just got mixed in their 
thanks — ” 

“ Not at all I It was Peace’s work, and natu- 
rally they thought I had authorized it. That little 
rascal picked up about half her wardrobe, her 
Christmas doll, several games and story books, 
and goodness knows what all, and took them over 
to Mrs. Scofield’s house to be packed in the mis- 
sionary barrels. Not only that, she persuaded 
Allee to do the same with her treasures.” 


THE LILAC LADY 


W 

“ The little sinner!” ejaculated the startled 
President. “ Without saying a word to anyone 
about her intentions? ” 

u She never consulted me.” 

“ Nor me. Well, we must just send her back 
after them, and make her understand she must ask 
us when she wants to dispose of her belongings.” 

“ That is just the trouble. The barrels have 
already gone.” 

“ You don’t say so! The monkey! Send Peace 
to me when she comes in, Dora. We must curb 
these philanthropic tendencies in their infancy 
and direct them in the right channels. There is 
the making of a wonderful woman in that small 
body.” 

“ With the right training.” 

“ Yes. God grant that we may be able to give 
her the right training.” 

Peace came radiantly in response to the mes- 
sage, dancing lightly down the hall as a humming- 
bird might flutter along, and the mere sight of her 
merry face as it popped through the study door- 
way was like a sudden shaft of sunlight in the 
great room. The President had determined to 
meet her gravely, even sternly, and show her that 
her uncalled-for generosity had displeased them, 
but in spite of himself, his eyes softened as they 
rested upon the sweet, round face upturned for 
a kiss, and he gently drew her into his lap before 
telling her why he had sent for her. 


94 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Why, yes, grandpa,” she readily confessed. 
“ I did give away some of my clothes and other 
things, and so did Allee, ’cause the children of 
the ministers on the frontier need them so much 
more than we do. Why, we’re rich now and can 
have anything we want I You said so yourself, 
you know. We couldn’t give the things we didn’t 
want ourselves, grandpa, ’cause that wouldn’t be 
a sacrilege; and the pretty lady who talked at the 
missionary meeting that day said it was the sac- 
rileges we made in this world that put stars in 
our crowns in the next world.” 

“ Sacrifice, dear, not sacrilege.” 

“ Is it? Well, I knew it was some kind of a 
sack. I want lots of stars in my crown when I 
get to heaven. Just think how terrible you’d feel 
s ’posing when St. Peter let you inside the Gates, 
he handed you just a plain, blank crown. Mercy I 
I know I’d bawl my eyes out even if it does say 
there aren’t any tears in heaven. So I picked out 
the things I liked the very best of all I got on 
Christmas — that is, most of them were. I don’t 
care much for dolls, so that wasn’t any sacri-/tce 
for me; but Allee likes them awfully much yet, 
and it was a big sacri -fice for her to let hers go. 
But I sent my dear, beautiful plaid dress that 
I thought was the prettiest of the bunch, though 
I let Allee keep the one she liked best, seeing she 
cried so hard about Queen Helen. She didn’t 
seem to enjoy thinking about the big star she’ll 


THE LILAC LADY 


get in its place, so I told her I thought likely you 
or grandma would give her even a prettier doll 
for her birthday, which isn’t very far off now. 
I sent the book which tells all about the way little 
children in other lands spend Christmas day, but 
it was pretty hard work to give that one up. I 
pulled it out of the heap three times, and fin’ly 
had to run like wild up to Mrs. Scofield’s house 
with it, so ’s I wouldn’t take it out and put it 
on the shelf to stay.” 

“ But why did you take so many things? ” 
asked the Doctor lamely. 

a There are five children in the family we sent 
our stuff to, and three of them are girls. There 
are six girls in our family, and when we lived 
all alone in the little brown house with just rag- 
ged, faded dresses to wear and only plain things 
to eat, holidays and all, we’d have been tickled 
to death if someone had given us such pretty 
things all for our very own. Oh, wouldn’t it have 
made you happy if you had been a little girl? ” 

The great, brown eyes shone with such a glori- 
fied light and the small, round face looked so 
blissfully happy that the Doctor’s lecture was 
wholly forgotten, and for a long time he held the 
little form close in his arms while his mind went 
backward over the long years to the time when 
he was a homeless orphan and Hi Allen — Hi 
Greenfield — had shared his treasures with him. 
They made a beautiful picture sitting there in the 


96 


THE LILAC LADY 


gathering dusk, the white head bending low over 
the riotous brown curls, the stro # ng hands inter- 
twined with the supple, childish fingers; and so 
completely had she captured the great heart of 
the man that when at length he set her on the 
floor and sent her away with a kiss, he spoke no 
chiding word. And Peace skipped off well con- 
tent with the results of her first missionary efforts. 

A few days later she danced into the house one 
afternoon from school, wet from head to foot with 
a damp, clinging snow which was falling, and at 
sight of her, Mrs. Campbell threw up her hands 
and exclaimed, “ Peace, my child, what have you 
been doing? ” 

“ Ted and Evelyn Smiley and Allee and me 
and some others had a snow-ball battle.’ ’ 

“ That is expressly forbidden by the school 
board — ” began the gentle little grandmother 
reprovingly. 

“ Oh, we didn’t battle with the school board, 
grandma! We waited until we reached Evelyn’s 
house and had it in their back yard. The snow 
is just right for dandy balls.” 

“ I should think as much. Come here! ” 

Peace obeyed, glancing hastily at her feet as 
she guiltily remembered a certain pair of new 
shoes which she was wearing and saw the sharp, 
black eyes fixed searchingly upon them. 

“ Peace Greenfield, what have you on your 
feet?” 


THE LILAC LADY 


97 


“ Shoes.” 

“ Your new strapped shoes — slippers — for 
summer wear? ” 

Peace nodded. 

“ After I told you not to wear them until 
warmer weather! ” 

“ You didn’t say that, grandma,” Peace expos- 
tulated. “ You said as long as I had any others, 
you guessed I had better put these away for 
party wear until it got warmer/’ 

As a rule, Peace’s excuses rather amused the 
mistress of the house, but this time she looked 
sternly at the little culprit, and briefly com- 
manded, “ Go to your room and put on your 
other shoes immediately.” 

“ I haven’t got any others.” 

“ No others? What do you mean? ” 

“ I — I — gave mine all away.” 

“ To whom did you give them? ” asked the 
President, who had entered the room unnoticed. 

“ To a little girl I met on the hill yesterday. 
Her toes were sticking through hers and she 
looked dreadfully cold, and kept stamping her 
feet to keep them from freezing.” 

The President swallowed a lump in his throat. 
“ She did not need two pair to keep her feet 
warm, did she? ” 

“ She was twins.” 

“ Wh-at? ” 

Peace jumped. “ Well, she said she had a sister 




98 


THE LILAC LADY 


just her same age at home, who hadn’t any shoes 
at all.” 

He took her by the hand, led her to her room, 
and after seeing that the wet shoes and stockings 
were replaced with dry ones, he lectured her kind- 
ly about giving away her belongings in such a 
promiscuous manner without first consulting her 
elders. And having won her promise for future 
good behavior, he went down town to purchase 
new shoes for the shoeless culprit, satisfied that 
Peace would remember his words of caution, and 
that they should not again be disturbed by the 
too generous acts of this zealous little home mis- 
sionary. 

And Peace did remember for a long time, but 
one day when the two younger children had been 
left alone with the servants, temptation again 
invaded this little Garden of Eden, and the brown- 
haired Eve yielded. 

It was late in the afternoon and Peace and 
Allee were standing by the window watching the 
sinking sun, when a ragged, stooped, old man 
trailed down the quiet street with a battered, 
wheezy, old hand-organ strapped to his back and 
a wizened, wistful-eyed, peaked-faced child at his 
heels. Seeing the two bright faces in the window 
and concluding that money was plentiful in that 
home, the vagabond slipped the organ from its 
supports, and began grinding out a discordant 
tune from the protesting instrument, sending the 


THE LILAC LADY 


99 


ragged, weary, little girl to the door with her tin 
cup for contributions. 

Peace saw her approaching, and opened the 
door before she had a chance to ring the bell, 
surprising the tiny ragamuffin so completely that 
she could only stand and mutely hold out her 
appealing dipper, having forgotten entirely the 
words she had been taught to speak on such occa- 
sions. 

“ You’re cold,” said Peace, a great pity surg- 
ing through her breast as she saw the swollen, 
purple hands trying to hide under ragged sleeves 
of a pitifully thin coat. 

“ Ver’ coP,” repeated the beggar, finding her 
tongue. 

“And hungry? ” 

“ Not’ing to eat today.” 

Peace made a sudden dive at the dirty, un- 
kempt creature, jerked her into the warm hall, 
and calling over her shoulder to the organ- 
grinder on the walk, “Go on playing, old man, 
she’ll be back pretty soon! ” she slammed the 
door shut, pushed the child into a chair by the 
glowing grate, and turned to Allee with the com- 
mand, “ Go ask Gussie for something to eat. 
Tell her a lunch in a bag will do. She’s always 
good to beggars.” 

“ No beggar,” remonstrated the little foreign- 
er. “ Earn money. Some days much. Little 
this day. It so col’.” 


100 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Is that all the coat you have? ” Peace de- 
manded, eyeing the scant attire with horrified 
eyes. 

“ All,” answered the child simply, and she 
sighed heavily. 

“ IVe got two. You can have one of mine,” 
cried Peace, forgetting wisdom, discretion, every- 
thing, in her great pity for this hapless bit of 
humanity. 

“ You mean it? No, you fool,” was the dis- 
concerting reply. 

11 Pm not a fool! ” 

“ No, no, not a fool. You jus’ fool, — joke. You 
no mean it.” 

“ I do, too! Wait a minute till I get it, and 
see if it fits. You’re thinner ’n me, but you’re 
about as tall.” 

She rushed eagerly up the stairway, and soon 
returned with the pretty, brown coat which she 
had found on her bed Christmas morning. Into 
this she bundled the surprised beggar child, 
pleased to think it fitted so well, and explained 
rapidly, “ I got two new coats for Christmas. 
Grandma said the red one was for best, so I kept 
that one, but you can have this. Keep it on out- 
side your old rag. It will be just that much 
warmer, and tonight is awfully cold. Here’s a 
pair of mittens, too. Wear ’em; they’re nice and 
warm. ’ 9 

Thrusting Allee’s bag of lunch into the blue- 


THE LILAC LADY 


101 


mittened hands, Peace opened the door and let 
the newly-cloaked figure run down the walk to 
the impatient man stamping back and forth in 
the street. They watched him minutely examin- 
ing the child’s new treasures, but they could not 
see the avaricious gleam in his ugly eyes, nor did 
they dream that the precious brown coat would 
be stripped off the shivering little form just as 
soon as they were out of sight around the corner, 
and bartered for whiskey at the nearest saloon. 

So happy was Peace in thinking of this other 
child’s happiness that she never once thought of 
her promise made to her grandfather until she 
saw Jud drive up the avenue and help the rest 
of the family out of the big sleigh. At sight of the 
erect figure striding up the walk with the gentle 
little grandmother on one arm and sister Gail on 
the other, she suddenly remembered that he had 
told her when she gave away her shoes that she 
must ask permission before disposing of her be- 
longings, or he should be compelled to use drastic 
measures. “ Brass-stick” measures, she called it, 
and visions of a certain brass rule on the desk 
in the library rose before her in a most disquiet- 
ing fashion as she recalled that impressive inter- 
view. 

“ Don’t tell him what you have done,” whis- 
pered a little evil voice in her ear. 

“ Tell him at once,” commanded her con- 
science; and acting upon the impulse of the mo- 


102 


THE LILAC LADY 


ment, she flew into the old gentleman’s arms 
almost before he had crossed the threshold and 
panted out, “ I ’xpect you’ll be compencUed to 
use your brass-stick measures on me this time 
sure. I guv away my coat! ” 

“ You did what? ” he cried, pushing her from 
him that he might look into her face. 

“ Gave, I mean. I gave away my brown coat.” 
“ Peace! ” 

The sorrowful tone of his voice cut her to the 
heart, but she flew to her own defense with oddly 
distorted words, “ I couldn’t help it, grandpa! 
She was so ragged and cold. S ’posing you had 
to go around begging hand-organs for a squeaky 
old penny, without anything to eat on your back 
or vittles to wear. Wouldn’t you like to have 
someone with two coats give you one? ” 

“ Very likely I should, my child. I am not 
blaming you for the unselfish feeling which 
prompted you to give away your coat to one more 
unfortunate than yourself, but you are not yet 
old enough to know how to give wisely. You will 
do more harm than good by such giving. No 
doubt your little brown coat is in the pawn-shop 
by this time.” 

“ But grandpa, she was in rags! ” 

“ Yes, and that is the way that brute of a man 
will keep her. Do you suppose he would get any 
money for his playing if he sent around a well- 
dressed child to collect the pennies? No, indeed! 


THE LILAC LADY 


103 


That is why he makes her Wear rags. He will 
sell or pawn your coat for liquor, and neither you 
nor the beggar child will have it to wear . ’ 1 

“ But I have my red one.” 

“You can’t wear that to school.” 

“ Why not? ” 

“ It is not suitable.” 

“ Then you’ll get me another.” 

“ No, Peace.” 

“ You won’t? ” Her grieved surprise almost 
unmanned him. 

“ No.” 

“ But you’ve got plenty of money! ” 

“ I will not have it long if you are going to 
give it all away. ’ ’ 

“You bought me some more shoes.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ That took money.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I — I thought you’d give us anything we 
wanted.” 

“ I have tried to, dear.” 

“ But I shall want another coat.” 

He shook his head. “ You deliberately gave 
away the one you had without asking permission. 
I can’t supply you with new clothes continually 
if that is what you intend to do with them.” 

“ Then how will I go to school any more? ” 

“ You must wear the coat you had when you 
earn® here to live.” 


104 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ So yon hung onto that old gray Parker coat, 
did you? ” she said bitterly. 

“ Yes, and now you will have to wear it until 
spring comes. ,, 

She was silent a moment, then shrugged her 
shoulders and airily retorted, “ I s’pose you 
know ! But, anyway, it was worth giving the new 
coat away just to see how glad the Dago was to 
get it.” 

It was the President’s turn to look surprised, 
and for an instant he was at a loss to know 
what to say; then he took her hand and led her 
away to the study, with the grave command, 
“ Come, Peace, I think we will have to see this 
out by ourselves.” 

She caught her breath sharply, hut never hav- 
ing questioned his authority since the days of 
the little brown house were over, she obediently 
followed him into the dim library and heard the 
door click behind them. As the gas flared up 
when he touched a match to the jet, she looked 
apprehensively about the room, and shuddered 
as she saw the brass ruler lying on top of a pile 
of papers on the desk. He even picked it up and 
toyed with it for a moment, and she thought her 
hour of reckoning had surely come. And it had, 
but not in the way she expected. 

Dropping the ruler at length, he abruptly or- 
dered, “ Sit down in my lap, Peace.” 

Usually he lifted her to that throne of honor 


THE LILAC LADY 


105 


himself, but this time he made no effort to help 
her, and when she was seated with her face lifted 
expectantly toward his, he disengaged the warm 
arms from about his neck and turned her around 
on his knee until she was looking at the desk 
straight in front of them. Then he picked up a 
book and began reading silently. 

Peace was plainly puzzled, for each time she 
turned her head to look at him, he gently but 
firmly wheeled her about and went on reading. 
At last she could be patient no longer, and with 
an angry little hop, she demanded, “ What’s the 
fuss about, grandpa? What are you going to 
do? ” 

Without looking up from his book he laid one 
finger on his lips and remained silent. 

“ Can’t I talk? ” 

It was a terrible punishment for Peace to keep 
still, and knowing this, just the faintest glimmer 
of a smile twitched at his lips, but he merely 
nodded gravely. 

“ Aren’t you going to say anything? ” 

Gravely he shook his head. 

Peace stared at the chandelier, then surrepti- 
tiously stole a peep at the face behind her. A 
big hand turned the curly head gently from him. 

She studied the green walls with their delicate 
frescoing, then cautiously leaned back against the 
President’s broadcloth vest. Firmly he righted 
her. Dismay took possession of her. This was 


THE LILAC LADY 


106 

the worst punishment that ever had befallen 
her, — that ever could. 

She gulped down the big lump which was grow- 
ing in her throat, and counted the books on the 
highest shelf around the wall. Fifty — sixty — 
seventy — her heart burst, and with a wail of 
anguish she kicked the book out of the Presi- 
dents hand and clutched him about the neck 
with a grip that nearly choked him, as she sobbed, 
“ Oh, grandpa, IT1 never, never, never forget 
again! I’ll be the most un-missionary person you 
ever knew, — yes, I’ll be a reg’lar heathen if youTl 
just speak to me ! I didn’t think I was being bad 
in trying to help others — ” 

“ My precious darling! I don’t want you to be 
a heathen,” he cried, straining her to his heart. 
‘ 1 I want you to be the best and most enthusiastic 
little missionary it is possible for you to be, but 
in order to be a good missionary, one must first 
learn obedience, and cultivate good judgment. I 
wouldn’t for all the world have my little girl 
grow up a stingy, miserly woman. I am proud 
of the sweet, generous, unselfish spirit which 
prompts you to try to make the burdens of others 
lighter, but you are too little a girl yet to know 
how and where to give money and clothes and 
such things so they will do good and not harm.” 

“ I see now what you mean, grandpa. I 
thought when I gave my coat to the little hand- 
organ beggar that she would keep it and use it. 


THE LILAC LADY 


107 


I never s ’posed her father wouldn’t let her have 
it, and now when he takes it away from her she 
will be sorrier ’n she would have been if she had 
never had it.” 

“ Yes, dear; and the money the old fellow gets 
from selling it will undoubtedly he spent for 
drink, or something equally as bad for him. Just 
out of curiosity, I traced the shoes you gave to 
the child on the hill not long ago, and I found 
that she had not told you the truth at all. She 
had no twin sister, nor did she even need the 
shoes herself.” 

‘ 1 Is — is — there no one that really is hungry and 
cold and needs things? ” gulped the unhappy 
child after a long pause of serious thought. 

“ Oh, yes, my dear! Thousands and thou- 
sands of them,” he sighed sorrowfully; “ and I 
am deeply thankful that my little girlie wants to 
make the old world happier. But after all, dear, 
the greatest need of this world of ours is love. 
It is not the money we give away which counts; 
it is the love we have for other people. I remem- 
ber well a little couplet your great-grandmother 
was fond of quoting — and she practiced it every 
day of her life, too, — 

‘ Give, if thou canst, an alms ; if not, afford 
Instead of that, a sweet and gentle word. ’ 

“ She had little of this world’s goods to give 
away, but she was one of the greatest sunshine 


108 


THE LILAC LADY 


missionaries I ever knew. My, how every one 
loved her. And her son, Hi, was just like her — 
one of the biggest-hearted, most lovable people 
God ever created. He was certainly a power for 
good during his life, but his only riches were a 
great love for his fellowmen and his warm, sunny 
smile. ’ 7 

Again a deep silence fell over the room, for 
Peace, cuddled in the strong man’s arms, with the 
tears still glistening on the long, curved lashes, 
was thinking as she had never thought before. 
Suddenly the dinner bell pealed out its summons, 
and as the President stirred in his chair, the child 
lifted her head from his shoulder, and looking 
squarely into the strong, kindly face, she said 
simply, “ I’m going to be like them and you, so’s 
folks will love me, too. And I’m not going to give 
away any more coats or shoes without you say 
I can, until I am big enough to grow some sense. 
I’m just going to smile and talk.” 

He did not laugh at her quaint phrasing of 
her intentions, but tightening his clasp upon the 
small body nestling within the circle of his arms, 
he quoted, 

“ ‘Work a little, sing a little, 

Whistle and be gay; 

Read a little, play a little, 

Busy every day. 

Talk a little, laugh a little, 

Don ’t forget to pray ; 

Be a bit of merry sunshine 
All the blessed way.’ ” 


CHAPTER V 


AN UNEXPECTED INVITATION 

Having a naturally light-hearted, merry dispo- 
sition, Peace did not find it hard work to * ‘ smile 
and talk, ’ ’ but it was hard, very hard, to restrain 
her generous impulses to give away everything 
she possessed to those less fortunate than her- 
self, and it soon became a familiar sight to see 
her fly excitedly into the house straight to the 
study where the busy President spent many 
hours each day, exclaiming breathlessly as she 
ran, u Oh, grandpa, there is a little beggar at 
the door in perfect rags and tatters ! Just come 
and look if she doesn’t need some clothes. And 
she is so cold and pinched up with being empty. 
Gussie has fed her, but can’t I give her some 
things to wear! I’ve more than I need, truly! ” 

Then the good man with a patient sigh would 
leave his work to investigate the case, spending 
many minutes of his precious time in satisfying 
himself as to whether or not Peace’s newly found 
beggar was genuine and really in need of relief, — 
for this small maid’s thirst for discovering vag- 
abonds seemed insatiable, and the string of 
tramps which haunted the President’s doorstep 

109 


110 


THE LILAC LADY 


led poor Gussie a strenuous life for a time. But 
relief came from an unexpected source at length. 

Late one dull spring afternoon, as Gail sat with 
her chum, Frances Sherrar, in the cosy window- 
seat of the reception-hall, studying the next day’s 
Latin lesson, a shadow fell across the page. Look- 
ing up in surprise, for neither girl had heard the 
sound of approaching footsteps, they beheld on 
the piazza the bent, shriveled, ragged form of 
what appeared to be a tiny, deformed, old wo- 
man. An ancient, faded shawl, patched and 
darned until it had almost lost its identity, en- 
veloped her from head to foot, and she looked 
more like an Indian squaw than like a civilized 
white being. Her head and hands shook cease- 
lessly as with the palsy, and the way she tottered 
about made one fearful every minute lest she 
fall. 

“ Oh,” cried Gail in quick sympathy, il what a 
feeble old creature ! It is a shame she has to beg 
her living. Where is my purse? ” 

“ Are you going to give her money? ” asked 
Frances in surprise. 

“ Doesn’t she look as if she needed it? ” 

“ She is a fake. I’ve seen her ever since I can 
remember — always just like this. She wouldn’t 
dare beg in town, but we are so far out — well, if 
you are really determined to do it, here’s a 
quarter.” 

Gail took the proffered coin, added a shining 


THE LILAC LADY 


111 


dollar to it, and stepping to the door where the 
palsied beggar stood mumbling and whining a 
pitiful hard luck tale, she pressed the silver into 
the leathery, claw T -like hand, smiled a sympa- 
thetic smile and bade the old woman a God-speed. 

Frances stayed for dinner that evening, and 
as the family gathered around the table for this, 
the merriest hour of the whole day, the President 
suddenly clapped his hand against his pockets, 
searched rapidly through them, and finally 
brought forth a crumpled sheet of paper, daubed 
with many ink blots and tipsy hieroglyphics, 
which read, “ No more beggars, tramps and vag- 
gibuns allowed on these promises. We have al- 
ready given away enuf to keep a army. There are 
two dogs and two men in this family — so bewair ! ’ ’ 

Even the presence of Peace, the author, did 
not prevent an explosion of delighted shrieks 
from the little company, but the child merely fixed 
her brown eyes, somber with reproof, upon the 
perfectly grave face of the Doctor of Laws, and 
demanded, “ Now, grandpa, what made you take 
it down? ” 

“ I didn’t, child,” he defended. “ It had blown 
down, I think, and lodged about the door-knob. 
I thought it was a hand-bill, and rescued it as I 
came in.” 

u Where had you put it? ” asked Cherry, grin- 
ning superciliously at the distorted characters on 
the soiled paper. 


112 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ On the side of the house by the front door,” 
she confessed. “ That’s where I put that one.” 

“ That one! Are there more? ” laughed Fran- 
ces, whose affection for this original bit of femi- 
ninity had only increased with the months of their 
acquaintance. 

“ Of course! There had to be one for each 
door, ’cause the beggars don’t all go the back 
way, and to he sure everyone saw the tag, I 
stuck one on the corner of the barn nearest the 
road, and another on each gate. That surely 
ought to he enough, oughtn’t it? ” 

“ I should think so,” Mrs. Campbell agreed, 
making a wry face at thought of the queer-looking 
signs scattered so liberally about the property. 
“ How did you come to make them? ” 

“ ’Cause of that beggar at the front door this 
afternoon,” Allee volunteered unexpectedly. 

“ What beggar? ” asked the President with in- 
terest, while Gail and Frances exchanged know- 
ing glances. 

“ A teenty, crooked, old woman came to the 
house while grandma was out this afternoon,” 
Peace began. “ She looked as if she might he 
a witch or old Grandmother Tipsy-toe — I never 
did like that game — ” 

“We thought she was a witch,” again Allee 
spoke up, unmindful of the frown on her older 
sister’s face; “ and we hid.” 

“ But we watched her,” Peace continued has- 


THE LILAC LADY 


113 


tily, “ and saw Gail give her some money. She 
did look awful forlorny and squizzled up as if 
she never had enough to eat to make any meat 
on her bones, and she nearly tumbled over, trying 
to kiss Gail’s hand ’cause she gave her some 
money. So after she was gone, we ran down to 
the gate to watch her, and what do you think! 
Just as she turned the corner, there was a cop — ” 

“ A what, Peace! ” 

“ I mean a pTiceman, coming along with his 
club swinging around his hand, and when the beg- 
gar woman saw him, she straightened up as stiff 
and starchy as anybody could be, and hustled off 
down the street ’most as quick as I can walk. She 
was a — a fraud, and Gail got cheated just like I 
did when I gave that hole-y shoed girl on the hill 
my shoes.” Here Frances shot a look of triumph 
at discomfited Gail. “ So I made up my mind 
that grandpa is right — they are all frauds.” 

“ Why, Peace, child, I never said that in the 
world,” the President disclaimed, surprised out 
of his usual serenity by her words. 

“ That’s so, — you said only half were frauds. 
Well, I guess it’s the fraud half that come here 
to beg of us. Gussie is tired of feeding them, 
Jud’s getting ugly, and if they keep on coming 
I’m ’fraid they’ll really eat grandpa out of house 
and home. Jud says they will. There were seven 
tramps last week, and already we have had two 
this week, and one beggar. So I made these signs 


t 


114 


THE LILAC LADY 


and stack them up where everybody ’d see them 
and know they meant business, w’thout Jud’s 
having to turn the dogs loose or get his shotgun 
like he said he ought to. He told me that all 
hoboes have some way of letting other hoboes 
know where they can get a square meal, . and 
that’s why we have so many. He says they never 
used to bother so until I came here to tow them 
along by coaxing Gussie to feed ’em. I thought 
I was being good to ’em. S ’posing we had sent 
grandpa away when he came tramping around 
to our house in Parker — Faith wanted to — where 
would we be now? Still grubbing in Parker try- 
ing to get enough to eat, ’most likely; or maybe 
in the poorhouse, for ’twas grandpa who paid 
the mortgage on the farm. I guess I must wait 
till I’m grown way up to have any missionary 
sense.” 

She spoke so dejectedly and her face looked so 
pathetic and utterly discouraged that no one had 
the heart to laugh, but a sudden feeling of re- 
straint fell upon the group. Even the President 
had no words in which to answer the poor, dis- 
heartened little missionary. 

“ Do you belong to Miss Smiley’s Gleaners? ” 
It was Frances who spoke, and though the words 
themselves signified little, her tone of voice was 
like an electric thrill, and the faces of the whole 
company turned expectantly toward her as she 
waited for Peace’s answer. 


THE LILAC LADY 


115 


“ No, not yet. Evelyn has been after ns ever 
since we came here to join them, but something 
has always kept us away from the meetings each 
month, so we haven’t been ’lected yet. Evelyn says 
they don’t do much but have a good time, anyway, 
though it is a missionary society. That’s about 
all our Sunshine Club in Parker ever did, too, 
’xcept make comfort powders for the sick and 
mained in the hospital.” 

‘ ‘ Evelyn is right about what the Gleaners used 
to be, but since her aunt has taken up the work, 
they are doing lots of real missionary work. Why, 
since Christmas they have raised enough money 
to take care of two orphans in India for a year. 
Edith Smiley is such a beautiful girl — ” 

“ Ain’t she, though!” Peace burst out with 
customary impetuosity. “ I’ve wanted her for 
my Sunday School teacher ever since we began 
to go to South Avenue Church, but she’s got a 
class of boys.” 

“ And don’t they adore her! ” 

“No more’n I would.” 

“ It is easier to get teachers for girls’ classes; 
and besides, Miss Edith has had these boys from 
the time she started to teach. She certainly has 
her hands full with her Sunday School class, the 
Gleaners Missionary Band and the Young Peo- 
ple’s Society, for she is our president this term. 
There is no lag about her. She is always plan- 


116 


THE LILAC LADY 


ning something beautiful for somebody. Every- 
one loves her. When Victor was in the hospital 
the time he was hurt by the runaway, Miss Edith 
took him flowers several times ; and the nurse told 
us that she visits the children’s ward twice a 
month regularly and takes them fruit or flowers 
or scrap-books or something nice. They always 
know when to expect her, and she never disap- 
points them.” 

“ She certainly knows how to make sunshine 
for those around her,” said Mrs. Campbell warm- 
ly. “ I am so pleased to think she could take 
charge of the Gleaners. We ladies were really 
afraid the society must die. Miss Hilliker had 
neither strength, time nor talent to do justice 
to the work; hut, poor soul, she did try so hard, 
and she did give the children a good time, wheth- 
er or not they ever accomplished anything else.” 

“ I am glad Miss Smiley has taken the Glean- 
ers, too,” said Peace meditatively. “ Me and 
Allee ’xpect to join at next meeting. I guess 
maybe Cherry and Hope will, too, though I 
haven’t asked them yet.” 

“ I think you have headed them in the right 
direction, Frances,” whispered the President in 
grateful tones, when at last the dinner was ended 
and the chattering group w r ere filing out of the 
dining-room. “ I was beginning to wonder what 
in the world to do with our little Peace, but I 


THE LILAC LADY 


117 


think perhaps Miss Smiley will help solve the 
problem for us.” 

“ I know she will,” Frances replied confident- 
ly. “I can understand how discouraged poor 
Peace must feel. I’ve been there myself, only 
instead of giving away my own things as she 
does, I gave away other peopled belongings. I 
can never forget the seance I had with mother 
the day I handed over father’s best, go-to-meet- 
ing overcoat to a dirty, evil-looking tramp, and 
gave away Victor’s velocipede to the ash-man’s 
little boy. I came to the conclusion that the whole 
world was just a sham and all men — yes, and 
women — were liars. Mrs. Smiley came to my 
rescue, and what missionary spirit there is left 
in me is due to her good work and untiring ef- 
forts. Edith is a second edition of her mother.” 

“ And I think Frances must be second cousin 
at heart,” said the Doctor, gently pressing her 
hand. 

“ I don’t deserve such praise,” she protested, 
blushing with pleasure at his compliment. ‘‘I 
have only tried to make the most of the best in 
me, remembering the little verse we had for a 
motto : 

‘No robin but may thrill some heart, 

His dawnlight gladness voicing. 

God gives us all some small sweet way 
To set the world rejoicing/ 


118 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ We were only children when we took that as 
our class motto, but we have kept it all these 
years, and I know there is not one of the girls 
who considers it childish sentiment even yet.” 

“ That is why I am particularly thankful for 
your words at the table tonight. I want my girls 
to meet and mingle with and be influenced by such 
people as Miss Edith and her mother — and Miss 
Frances! ” 

“ I shall work hard to keep the reputation you 
have given me,” she laughed gayly, flitting away 
to join Gail in the Grove, as the pink and green 
and brown room was called ; but she was secretly 
much touched and helped by the President’s 
words, and rejoiced openly when a few days later 
the four younger Greenfield girls really did join 
the Gleaners Missionary Band and became active 
workers in that field. 

“It is kind of a queer missionary society,” 
Peace reported after one of the meetings. 
“ Sometimes we don’t say hardly a word about 
heathen or poor ministers on the frontier all the 
time we are at the church. We talk about how 
we can help each other and our families and folks 
who live close by us. Miss Edith says first and 
foremost a good missionary must be cheerful and 
sunshiny. Our motto is “Scatter Sunshine,” and 
our song is the prettiest music I ever heard. She 


THE LILAC LADY 


119 


says it isn’t the music that counts, it’s the words, 
but just s ’posing we sang: 

‘ In a world where sorrow 
Ever will be known, 

Where are found the needy, 

And the sad and lone; 

How much joy and comfort 
You can all bestow, 

If you scatter sunshine 
Everywhere you go.’ 

to the tune of * Go tell Aunt Rhody,’ it wouldn’t 
cheer me up very much. Would it you? ” 

“ No,” laughed Mrs. Campbell, who chanced 
to be her confidante on this particular occasion, 
“ I don’t think it would; but on the other hand, 
meaningless words would not cheer anyone, 
either, no matter how pretty the tune. Is that not 
so? ” 

“ Yes, I s’pose it is. I guess it takes both to- 
gether to do the work. This week our verse is : 

‘Can I help another 
By some word or deed ? 

Can I scatter blessings 
O’er a soul’s sore need? 

If I can, then let me 
Now, within today, 

Help the one who needs ms 
On a little way.’ 


120 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ The next time we tell if we remembered the 
verse and worked it.” 

“ Worked it? ” Mrs. Campbell was not yet ac- 
customed to Peace ’s queer speeches, and often did 
not understand her meaning. 

“ Yes. Miss Edith says just helping Gussie 
carry the dishes away nights, or buttoning Ma- 
rie’s dress when she is cross and in a hurry, or 
getting grandpa’s slippers ready for him when 
he comes home from the University all cold and 
tired, or holding that squirmy yarn for you when 
you knit those ugly shawls, or talking nice to Jud 
when he makes me mad, is being a missionary. 
She says it is the little, everyday things that 
count; for some of us may never get a chance 
to do anything real big and splendid, and if we 
wait all our lives for such a time to come along, 
we will be just wasting our talents. But all of 
us have hundreds of little things each day to do, 
and if we do them cheerfully and sweetly, we are 
being sunshine missionaries and are making 
others happier all the time. She says Abr’am 
Lincoln’s greatest wish was to have it said of 
him when he died that he had always tried to 
pull up a thistle and plant a flower wherever he 
got a chance. Thistles mean hard feelings and 
mean acts, and the flowers are kind words and 
deeds.” 

“ Miss Edith has found the key to true happi- 
ness,” murmured Mrs. Campbell, glancing out of 


THE LILAC LADY 


121 


the window at a tall, slender, gray-eyed young 
lady hurrying down the street, surrounded by a 
bevy of bright-faced, adoring boys and girls. 

“ Yes, she’s another Saint Elspeth, isn’t she? 
How nice it is to have her here as long as I can’t 
have my dear Mrs. Strong! And do you know, 
grandma, she and Mrs. Strong were chums when 
they went to college? Isn’t that queer? ” 

4 4 How did you happen to find that out? ” 

“ ’Cause on my list of missionary doings this 
week I had ‘ not getting mad when Gray chawed 
up St. Elspeth ’s letter ’fore I had read it more’n 
three times.’ And she asked me who Saint Els- 
peth was.” 

“ Do you make out a list of missionary doings 
each week? ” asked Mrs. Campbell, amused at 
Peace’s version of the occurrence, for the child 
had been so angry at the destruction of the letter 
from this beloved friend that she had seized a 
heavy club and rushed at the cowering pup as if 
bent on crushing its skull. Before the blow de- 
scended, however, she dropped her weapon, 
bounced into a nearby chair, and glared wrath- 
fully at poor Gray until he shrank from her al- 
most as if she had struck him. Then suddenly 
the anger died from her eyes, and clutching the 
surprised animal about the neck she fell to pet- 
ting him energetically, exclaiming in pitying 
tones, “ Poor Gray, I don’t s’pose you know how 
near I came to knocking your head off any more’n 


THE LILAC LADY 


122 

you know how much I wanted that letter you’ve 
just swallowed, but I’m sorry just the same. 
Shake hands and be friends! ” 

Peace, not understanding the smile that crept 
over the gentle face of the dear old lady, has- 
tened to explain, “ We write them so’s folks 
won’t laugh. We don’t mean to laugh at each 
other, hut sometimes children do say the funniest 
things. There is Bernice Platte for one. She 
can’t say anything the way she wants to, and it 
makes her feel had when we giggle. So Miss 
Edith took to having us write our lists. I don’t 
care how much they laugh at me, I get so much 
of that at home that I am used to it, hut some 
folks ain’t brought up that way and I s’pose it 
hurts.” 

Mrs. Campbell caught her breath sharply. It 
had never occurred to her before that Peace was 
sensitive, but the gusty sigh with which these 
words were spoken told her companion much, "and 
slipping her arm about the little figure crouched 
at her side, the woman said gently, “ Would you 
mind telling grandma some of the bits of sun- 
shine you have been scattering this week? ” 

The wistful round face brightened quickly. 
‘ 1 Would you care to hear? ” 

“ I should love to, dearie.” 

“ I didn’t make much sunshine, I guess, ’nless 
’twas here at home where folks know me, but 
I tried. You know Hope has been taking flowers 


THE LILAC LADY 


128 


to one of her teachers at High School, and the 
other day Miss Pope told her that she gave them 
all to her brother who is lame and can’t walk, 
and he spends all his days drawing and painting 
the pretty things he sees. Well, there is a teacher 
in onr school who looks awful turned-down at the 
mouth, and kind of sour like, and last week Min- 
nie Herbert told me that it was ’cause the woman 
had lost her brother in a wreck. So I thought 
maybe she’d like some flowers, and I took her 
some. I didn’t know her name, but she was sit- 
ting in the hall to keep order during recess time, 
and I carried the bouquet right up to her and laid 
them in her lap. I ’xpected to see her smile, but 
instead, she picked them up and looked kind of 
red as she asked me what made me bring them 
to her. I meant to tell her I was sorry she looked 
so lonely and sad, but what I really said was 
1 homely and bad.’ I don’t see why it is I always 
twist things up so, but that made her mad and 
I couldn ’t explain it so ’s she would take the flow- 
ers again, and I had to give them to one of the 
girls whose mother has delirious tremors.” 

“ Oh, Peace, you have made a mistake.” 

“ What is it, then? ” 

“ I presume the poor woman is delirious with 
a fever of some sort.” 

“ Tryfoid” supplied Peace. “ Stella told 
teacher so. That same day on my way home from 
school I saw a little girl lugging a heavy pail, 


124 


THE LILAC LADY 


and the handle kept cutting her hands, so she 
had to set it down every few steps and change 
to the other side. When I asked her to let me 
help, she gave me hold, and we carried the bucket 
down the alley to a chicken-coop, where it had 
to be dumped, ’cause it was slops for the hens. 
There was a big box there to stand on, and I lifted 
the pail to the top of the fence and emptied it, 
but the woman which owns the chickens was right 
under where the stuff fell, and she didn’t like 
it a bit, and scolded us both good. 

“ Then there was Birdie Holden who wanted 
a bite of my apple, and when I turned it around 
to give her a good chance at it, she bit straight 
into a worm, and said I did it on purpose, though 
I never knew the worm was there any more’n she 
did. 

* 1 But the worst of all was the day teacher sent 
me to the office for thumb tacks to fasten up our 
drawings around the room. She told me to see 
how quick I could get back, but she never counted 
on the principal’s not being there, which she 
wasn’t. So I had to wait. Then all at once I 
saw a big sign on the wall which said if Miss 
Lisk wasn’t in and folks were in a hurry, to ring 
the bell twice. 

“ I was in a big hurry for I had waited so long 
already that I thought sure Miss Allen would be 
after me in a minute to see if I was making the 
tacks; so I grabbed the cord and jerked the bell 


THE LILAC LADY 


125 


hard twice, and then twice again, and then twice 
the third time. I ’xpected she’d come a-running 
at that, bnt what do you think, grandma? Every- 
one in that schoolhouse just got up and hustled 
out of doors as fast as they could march. We 
never used to have fire drill in Parker and I 
hadn’t heard of such a thing here, either, so I 
was dreadfully s ’prised to find what my gong- 
ringing had done. Maybe Miss Lisk wasn’t mad 
for a minute, when she saw me hanging out of the 
window yelling to know what was the matter, 
’cause I was in a hurry for my thumb-tacks ! But 
afterwards she laughed like anything and said the 
children made record time in getting out, ’cause 
no one, not even she herself, knew whether it was 
just a fire drill or whether the janitor had rung 
the gong on account of the school’s really being 
burned up.” 

No one could blame the good dame for smiling 
at the vivid pictures Peace had painted of her 
missionary efforts, but Mrs. Campbell knew how 
sore the little heart must be over these seeming 
failures, so she pressed the nestling head closer 
to her shoulder and said comfortingly, “But 
think of all the smiles you have won from the 
washerwoman. When I paid her last night, she 
showed me the big bunch of flowers you had cut 
from your hyacinths and lilies in the conserva- 
tory, and told me how eagerly her poor, sick little 
girl watched for her home-coming the days she 


126 


THE LILAC LADY 


washed here, knowing that you would never for- 
get to send her something. And Jud was telling 
your grandpa only this morning how the ash- 
man^ horse always whinnies when the team stops 
in the alley, because you never fail to be there 
with a lump of sugar or a handful of oats. Mrs. 
Dodds says it is a real pleasure to make dresses 
for you, just to hear you praise her work. I was 
in the kitchen this morning when the grocer 
brought our order, and after he was gone, Gussie 
showed me a sack of candy he had slipped in for 
you, because you are so kind to his little girl at 
school. I don’t need Jud’s words to tell me how 
the horses and other animals on the place love 
you. And why? Because you love them and 
never hurt them.” 

‘ ‘ But, grandma, ’ ’ interrupted Peace, her eyes 
wide with amazement at this recital; “ you don’t 
call those things scattering sunshine, do you?” 

“ What would you call it, dear? ” 

“ But — but — I didn’t do those things on pur- 
pose, grandma. They — they just did themselves. 
I like to see Mrs. 0 ’Flaherty’s eyes shine and 
hear her say, ‘ May the saints in Hivin bliss ye, 
darlint,’ when I give her anything for Maggie; 
and the ash-man’s horse doesn’t get enough to 
eat — really, it is ’most starved, I guess ; and Mrs. 
Dodds does look so tickled when I say anything 
she makes is pretty. They are pretty, too. And 
the grocer’s little girl is so scared if anyone 


THE LILAC LADY 


127 


speaks to her that a lot of the bigger girls got to 
teasing her dreadfully and I couldn’t help lighting 
into them and telling them they ought to he 
ashamed of themselves; and — ” 

“ That is what I call scattering sunshine, dear. 
It is these little acts of ours which count, these 
acts done unconsciously, without any thought of 
others seeing, done simply because our hearts 
are so full of love and sympathy that they bubble 
over without our knowing it, and others are made 
happy because of our unselfishness.” 

“ I guess you’re right,” said Peace thought- 
fully; “ ’cause when folks are watching and I 
want to be ’specially sweet and nice and helpful, 
I just make a dreadful bungle of it, and everyone 
laughs. It’s the things we do without thinking 
that make folks happiest. That is what Saint 
Elspeth used to tell me. Some way I could under- 
stand her better than Miss Edith, I guess; hut 
maybe it was ’cause I knew her better. When do 
you s’pose we can go to see her, grandma? 
Saint Elspeth, I mean. It has been such a long 
time since — ” 

“ She wants you next week, you and Allee.” 

It was the President who spoke, and with a 
startled cry, Peace leaped up to find him in the 
doorway behind them. “ Why, Grandpa Camp- 
bell, how did you sneak in here so softly! I 
never heard you at all, you came so catty. Did 
you hear what we were talking about? ” 


128 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Not much of it. I arrived just in time to 
catch your remarks about Mrs. Strong, and as I 
happen to have a note in my pocket this minute 
from your Saint John, I spoke right out without 
thinking. I was intending to make you and grand- 
ma jump a little.” 

“ You made me jump a lot,” she retorted, 
throwing her arms about him and giving him a 
rapturous hug. 4 4 Did you really mean that Mrs. 
Strong wants me next week? That is our spring 
vacation here in Martindale.” 

“ Yes, so the letter said. You see, the Strongs 
are living in Martindale now, too.” 

“ Grandpa! You’re fooling! ” 

“ Not this time. I have known for a whole 
month that there was some prospect of their com- 
ing to the city, but I waited until I was sure be- 
fore saying anything, because I knew you girls 
would be disappointed if they did not get the 
place.” 

‘ 1 What place ? How did it happen ? What will 
Parker do without him? Will he live near us? 
Can we see them often? Where did you get the 
note? ” 

“ One question at a time, please,” he cried 
laughingly. “ Mr. Strong dropped in at the Uni- 
versity a minute this afternoon. He has been 
called to fill the vacancy at Hill Street Church, 
and has accepted, but as his pastorate is about 
three miles from this part of the city, he will 


THE LILAC LADY 


129 


not live very close to ns. However, it will be pos- 
sible for yon to see each other more frequently 
than if they had remained at Parker. They moved 
yesterday into the new parsonage, and Mrs. 
Strong wants to borrow onr two youngest next 
week to help her with the baby while they are get- 
ting settled. Do yon want to go? ” 

“ Oh, I can hardly wait! Can we really stay 
the whole week? ” 

“ Yon ungrateful little vagabond! ” he thun- 
dered in pretended anger. “ You want to leave 
your old grandpa for a whole week, do you? ” 

“ Yes,” she giggled. “ A change would do us 
both good. Besides, we live with you all the time, 
and I don’t get a chance to see Saint Elspeth and 
Glen very often — but I’d lots rather have my 
home with you, though I do like to go visiting 
once in a while, same as you do.” 

“ Teaser! Well, if grandma thinks it wise, you 
and Allee may go next week to visit your patron 
saints — What is the matter, Dora? Doesn’t the 
plan please you? ” 

For grandma looked unusually grave and 
thoughtful, but at his question she merely an- 
swered, “ Peace may accept if she wishes, but 
unless Allee ’s cold is much better by Monday, I 
don’t think it best for her to go. I kept her home 
from school today.” 

For a moment the brown-haired child stood 
silent and hesitating on one foot in the middle of 


9 


130 


THE LILAC LADY 


the floor. It would be hard to be separated from 
this golden-haired sister for a whole week, hut — 
it had been such a long time since she had seen 
these other precious friends; and anyway, Els- 
peth needed someone to help her. Besides, Allee 
might he well enough to go by Monday, or per- 
haps she could come later in the week. It would 
he wisest to accept the invitation at once, so with 
a little hop of decision, she announced serenely, 
“ Tell Saint John I’ll come, and prob’ly Allee 
will, too. Her colds don’t usu’ly last long, and 
she’ll be all right by Monday.” 


CHAPTER VI 


PEACE ’s SPRING VACATION 

Allee’s cold was no better Monday morning, 
but it was decided that Peace should go alone to 
the new parsonage on Hill Street, with the prom- 
ise that if possible the younger child should join 
her before the week’s visit was ended. So Peace 
departed. But it was with a heavy heart that she 
went, for, much as she wanted to see her former 
pastor’s family, she dreaded being separated from 
this dearest of sisters even for seven days; nor 
could she shake off the vague feeling of unrest 
which had gripped her when she saw the sick, 
sorrowful look in Allee’s great blue eyes as they 
said good-bye. 

“ Get well quick, dear,” she whispered ten- 
derly, holding the tiny, hot hand against her 
cheek after a quaint fashion they had of saying 
good-night to each other. “ I can’t have a good 
time even with Saint Elspeth and Glen if you 
are at home sick. Take your med’cine like a good 
girl, and about Wednesday I ’xpect Saint John 
will be coming after you if grandpa hasn’t 
brought you before.” 

And Allee had promised to do her best, but 

131 


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THE LILAC LADY 


Peace could not forget her last glimpse of the 
wistful, flushed face, pressed against the window- 
pane to watch her out of sight around the corner. 
And so sober was she that Jud, who was driving 
her to the dovecote on the hill, looked around in- 
quiringly more than once, and finally ventured to 
ask, “ Have you caught cold, too? ” 

“ No, indeed! ” she flung back at him. “I’m 
never sick. Why? ” 

“ Your eyes look pretty red.” 

His ruse was effective, for in trying to see her- 
self in a tiny scrap of a mirror which she carried 
in her satchel, she forgot her desire to cry, and 
looked as gay and chipper as usual when the 
carriage drew up at the parsonage curbing and 
Mr. Strong bounded boyishly down the walk to 
meet her, holding his beautiful year-old boy on 
one arm, and dragging the sweet girl wife by 
the other. 

“ Oh, but it’s good to see you again! ” cried 
Peace, vaulting over the wheels to the ground 
before either Jud or the minister could lift her 
down. “ It doesn’t seem ’sif you’d really moved 
to Martindale to live. How did it happen? 
Grandpa couldn’t make me understand about 
bishops and preachers and congregations, but 
I’m glad you’ve come. Did you have a hard time 
getting out of Parker and was there a farewell 
reception? Ain’t it too bad Faith wasn’t there 
to make you another cake? Mercy! How the 


THE LILAC LADY 


133 


baby has grown! Why, I b’lieve he knows me. 
He wants to come. Oh, he ain’t too heavy and 
I won’t break his precious neck, will I, Glen? 
How do you like my new dress and did you get 
my hand-satchel ’fore Jud drove off? I forgot 
all about it the minute I saw the baby. Grandpa 
was going to bring me, but the faculty had to plan 
a meeting for this morning, of course, and 
grandma couldn’t come on account of Alice’s cold. 
What a cute little house you’ve got! It looks 
wholer than the Parker parsonage. I’m just 
dying to see all the little cubby-holes and closets. 
How many rooms are there? ” 

‘ ‘ It is the same old Peace, Elizabeth, ’ ’ laughed 
Mr. Strong, rescuing his boy and leading the way 
to the house. “ Prosperity has not changed her 
a whit. She has hundreds of questions stored up 
under that curly wig waiting to be asked. I can 
see them sticking out all over her. My dear, you 
are here for a week’s visit. Don’t choke yourself 
trying to ask everything in one breath, but ‘walk 
into our parlor’ and we will show you all we have, 
and let you rummage to your heart’s content.” 

So they initiated her into the mysteries of the 
new parsonage with its pretty, cheerful rooms, 
unexpected cosy corners, tiny kitchen and cunning 
little cupboard, and for a week she fairly revelled 
in the play-house, as she immediately named the 
spandy new cottage, amusing the baby, who 
promptly attached himself to her with the devo- 


134 


THE LILAC LADY 


tion of a lap-dog, dusting furniture, washing 
dishes, and causing her usual commotion trying 
to help where her presence was only a hindrance. 
But they enjoyed it ! Oh, dear, yes ! Her quaint 
speeches were a constant delight to them, and the 
sight of her somber brown eyes, so at odds with 
her merry disposition, and the sound of her gay 
whistle or rippling little giggle were like the 
breath of spring to these homesick hearts. 

So the days slipped happily by in the dovecote 
on the hill, in spite of Peace’s vague fears for 
the little sister at home who did not get well 
enough to join them; and before anyone was 
aware of it, the whole week was gone and Sunday 
night had arrived. The evening service was over, 
Peace had said good-night to the pastor and his 
wife, and the house was in darkness when sud- 
denly there was the sound of hurried steps on 
the walk, the door-bell jangled harshly, and the 
brown eyes in the room across the hall flew open 
just as the front door closed with a bang, and 
Mrs. Strong’s frightened voice called through 
the darkness, “ What is it, John? A telegram? ” 

“ A messenger boy.” 

“ Oh, what is the trouble? Someone hurt or 
sick at home? Here is a light, dear.” 

Flickering shadows danced across the walls of 
Peace’s room, she heard the tearing of paper, and 
then Mr. Strong’s quick exclamation, “ Elizabeth! 
It is Allee! ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


135 


“ What is Allee? ” A white gown shot ont 
of the door opposite them, and terrified Peace 
threw herself into the woman’s arms, demanding 
again, “ What is Allee? Is she — dead? ” 

“ No, dear,” he hastily assured her, provoked 
to think he had frightened the child so badly; 
“ only ill — quarantined for scarlet fever/ ’ 

“ Scarlet fever! ” gasped the girl. “ That’s 
what killed Myrtle Perry. Oh, will Allee die, 
too? Why didn’t I stay at home with her? ” 

“ There, there, little girlie, you mustn’t cry 
about it like that,” said Mrs. Strong, stroking 
the brown head in her arms with comforting 
touches. “ Lots of people have scarlet fever and 
get over it. The letter says Allee ’s case is not 
at all severe, but she will be quarantined for some 
weeks and you can’t go home until the house 
has been fumigated. You must be our girl for 
a month or two longer. Will that be hard work? ” 
“ N-o, but s ’posing she should die! I ought to 
be there to have it, too.” 

“ No, indeed! That would make it only harder 
for Grandma Campbell. You must stay here and 
keep well so they won’t be worrying about you, 
too. Allee isn’t going to die, but in a few weeks 
will be as well as ever.” 

“ S ’posing I’ve caught it already and give it 
to Glen? ” 

“ Dr. Coates thinks you would have been sick 
by this time if you were going to have the disease, 


156 


THE LILAC LADY 


but he is taking no chances, and has sent some 
medicine as a preventive. ’ ’ 

u What about school? ” The case was becom- 
ing interesting to Peace, now that she was assured 
that Allee would not die. 

“ Oh, you can have another week of vacation 
from lessons, and then if everything is all right, 
you can finish your term at Chestnut School. 
That is only four blocks from here, and Miss 
Curtis is a splendid principal. I knew her when 
I went to college, and I am sure you will like her. ’ ’ 
This was not exactly what Peace had expected 
or hoped for. She would have preferred no more 
school at all, as long as the sisters at home were 
to have an enforced vacation of several weeks, 
and her face clouded again as she heard Eliza- 
beth’s plan. “ But — I can’t — I don’t want — I 
would rather — ” she stammered. 

4 * Bemember your motto and ‘ scatter sunshine, ’ 
dear. It will help the home folks to know you are 
cheerful and happy here, and it will help us, too. ’ ’ 
She had touched the right chord. Peace slowly 
dried her tears, gave a final gulp or two, and 
lifted her face once more smiling and serene, say- 
ing gravely, “ You can bet on me! I won’t bawl 
any more. You folks better get to bed now and 
not stand here shivering until you catch cold. 
Good-night again ! ” With a hearty kiss for each, 
she trailed away to her tiny room and was soon 
fast asleep among the pillows. 


THE LILAC LADY 


137 


In spite of her determination to be brave, how- 
ever, she often found it hard to wear a smiling 
face during the week which followed the mes- 
senger’s coming, for much as she wanted a vaca- 
tion from her books, time hung heavily on her 
hands. She could not help fretting about Allee ly- 
ing ill at home, Glen took a sleepy spell and spent 
many hours each day napping when she wanted 
to play with him, the little house had soon been 
put in order, everything was unpacked and in 
its place, the minister and Elizabeth were com- 
pelled to devote much of their time to making 
the acquaintance of their new parishioners and 
becoming familiar with this new field of labor; 
so Peace was necessarily left to her own devices 
more than was good for her. 

To make a bad situation worse, a drizzly spring 
rain set in, which lasted for days and kept the 
freedom-loving child a prisoner indoors, when 
she longed to be dancing in the fresh air and ex- 
ploring a certain inviting grove which she had 
discovered on the hillside behind the church. 

“ I b’lieve it’s raining just to spite me,” she 
exclaimed crossly one afternoon as she stood 
drumming on the window-sill and watching the 
pearly drops course down the pane in zigzag 
rivulets. “ It just knows how bad I want to get 
out to play.” 

Elizabeth looked up from a tiny dress which she 


138 


THE LILAC LADY 


was mending carefully, and said in sprightly 
tones, 

“ ‘Is it raining, little flower? 

Be glad of rain. 

Too much sun would wither thee, 

’Twill shine again. 

The sky is very black, ’tis true, 

But just behind it shines the blue.’ ” 

“ Oh, yes, you can say that all right,” Peace 
snapped, u cause you ain’t just a-dying to get out 
and dig. Why, Saint Elspeth, the air just fairly 
smells of angleworms and birds’ nests, and I do 
want to make a garden so bad! ” 

“ Poor girlie,” smiled the woman to herself, 
“ what a hard time she would have in life if she 
could not run and romp all she wanted.” But 
aloud she merely said, “ It is too early to make 
a garden yet, dear. The ground is so cold that 
the seeds would rot instead of sprouting, and if 
any little shoots were brave enough to climb 
through the soil into open air, they probably would 
get frozen for their trouble. We are apt to have 
some hard frosts yet this spring. See, the leaves 
on the trees have scarcely begun to swell yet. 
They know it isn ’t time. Be patient a little longer ; 
it can’t rain forever.” 

“ It’s hard to be patient with nothing to do,” 
sighed the child, pressing her nose flatter and 
flatter against the glass as she looked up and down 


THE LILAC LADY 


139 


the dreary, deserted street, vainly hoping for 
something to distract her dismal thoughts. 

“ Have you finished dressing the paper dolls 
for Allee? ” 

“ Yes, I made ten different suits for every 
single doll, and there were fifteen, counting in the 
father and mother and grandma. Saint John 
has already mailed them. Pve read till I’m tired 
and the hack fell off of the book — it wasn’t a 
nice story anyway, ’cause the good girl was al- 
ways getting whaled for what the bad one did. 
I whistled Glen to sleep before I knew it and 
then couldn’t wake him up, though I shook and 
shook him. I’ve sewed up all today’s squares of 
patch- work and two of tomorrow’s; but it isn’t 
int ’resting work when you ain’t there to tell me 
stories about them. And anyway, I hate sewing — 
patch-work ’specially ! When I grow up and get 
married, my husband will have to buy our quilts 
already made. I’ll never waste my time sewing 
on little snips to hatch up some bed-clothes. 
They’re always covered up with spreads anyway. 
Rainy days are the dismalest things I know! ” 

“ That is very true if we let it rain inside, 
too,” Elizabeth agreed quietly. 

‘ 1 Let it rain inside ! Whoever heard tell of 
such a thing — ’nless the roof was leaky.” Peace 
giggled in spite of her gloom. 

“ You are letting it rain inside now when you 
frown and sigh instead of trying to be cheerful 


140 


THE LILAC LADY 


and happy in spite of the storm outside. One 
of our poets says: 

“ ‘Whatever the weather may be, ’ says he, 

‘Whatever the weather may be, 

It’s the songs ye sing, and the smiles ye wear 
That’s a-making the sunshine everywhere! ’ ” 

Peace abruptly ceased her drumming on the 
window-sill and stared thoughtfully through the 
wet pane at a row of draggled sparrows chirping 
blithely on a fence across the muddy street. Then 
she remarked, “ What a lot of poetry you know! 
Seems , sif I’d struck a poetic bunch since we left 
Parker. Grandma and grandpa and Miss Edith 
and Frances, and now you have taken to talking 
in rhymes — and they are mostly about sunshine, 
too.” 

“ ‘When the days are gloomy 
Sing some happy song/ ” 

hummed Elizabeth, leaning suddenly forward and 
drawing out a drawer in her desk close by. She 
rummaged through its contents for a moment, 
and then laid a dainty brown and gold book in 
the girl’s hands, saying, “ That reminds me. 
When I was a little girl not much older than you 
are now, my mother was very ill for a long time, 
and my sister Esther and I were sent away from 
home to live with a lame old aunt in a lonely little 
house about a mile from the nearest neighbor’s. 
Needless to say, we got very homesick with no 


THE LILAC LADY 


141 


one to play with or amuse us, and the days were 
often so long that we were glad when night came 
so we could sleep and forget our childish troubles. 
Though Aunt Nancy was not accustomed to chil- 
dren, she soon discovered our loneliness and set 
about to mend matters as best she could. But 
the old house had very little in it for us to play 
with, the books were all too old for us to under- 
stand, and like you, we were not overly fond of 
sewing. So poor old auntie was at her wit’s end 
to know what to do with us when she happened 
to think of her diary.” 

** Did she have many cows? ” 

“ Cows? ” 

“ In her diary.” 

“ Oh, child, that is dairy you mean. A diary 
is a record of each day’s events — all the little 
things that happen from week to week — sort of 
a written history of one’s life.” 

“ H’m, I shouldn’t think that would be fun,” 
Peace commented candidly, still holding the un- 
opened volume in her hand, thinking it was 
another uninteresting story-book. “ I don’t like 
writing any better than I do sewing.” 

“ Neither did I, but Esther was rather fond of 
scribbling, and Aunt Nancy’s diary was one of 
the brightest, sprightliest histories of common, 
everyday affairs that we ever read, and we were 
both greatly amused over it. She had kept a 
faithful record for years — not every day, or 


142 


THE LILAC LADY 


even every week, but just when she happened to 
feel like writing, so it was no drudgery. 

“ She was quite given to making rhymes, as 
you call it, and we were astonished to find several 
very beautiful little poems and stories that she 
had written just for her own enjoyment; for she 
had always lived alone a great deal, and these 
little blank books of hers held the thoughts that 
she could not speak to other folks because there 
were no folks to talk with. Esther was several 
years older than I, and she knew a lady who wrote 
for magazines. So, unbeknown to Aunt Nancy, 
she copied a number of the prettiest verses and 
sent them to this author, who not only had them 
printed, but begged for more. I never shall forget 
how pleased Aunt Nancy was, and I think it was 
that which decided us girls to try keeping a diary, 
too. We raced each other good-naturedly, to see 
who could write the queerest fancies or longest 
rhymes, and many an hour have we whiled away, 
scribbling in the dusty attic.’ ’ 

“ Did you ever get anything printed? ” Peace 
was becoming interested, for Gail had secret am- 
bitions along this line, and such matters as poems, 
stories and publishers were often discussed in the 
home circle. 

“ No,” sighed Elizabeth, a trifle wistfully, 
perhaps, as she thought of that dear dream of her 
girlhood days. “ I soon came to the conclusion 
that poets are born and not made. But Esther has 


THE LILAC LADY 


143 


been quite successful in writing short stories for 
magazines, and she lays it all to the summer we 
spent with Aunt Nancy on that dreary farm.” 
“ How long did you write your dairy? ” 

“ Diary, Peace. I am still writing it — 99 
“ Ain’t that book full yet? ” 

“ Oh, yes, a dozen or more, but most of them 
were burned up in the fire at — ” 

‘ ‘ I thought maybe this was one of them. ’ 9 She 
held up the brown and gold volume, much dis- 
appointed to think it did not contain the record 
of those early attempts which Elizabeth had so 
charmingly described. 

“ No, dear, that is a notebook which I was in- 
tending to send John’s youngest brother, Jasper, 
who thinks he wants to be an author, so he might 
jot down bits of information or interesting 
anecdotes to help him in his work. However, it 
just occurred to me that perhaps Peace Green- 
field would like such a book to gather up sun- 
beams in. ” 

“ To gather up sunbeams? ” 

“ Yes, dear. Don’t you think it would be a 
nice plan these rainy, dreary days to write down 
all the cheerful bits of poetry you know or happy 
thoughts that come to you, or the pretty little 
fairy tales you and Allee love to make up about 
the moon lady and the brownies in the dell? You 
see, I have painted little brownies all along the 
margins of the various pages — ” 


144 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ And they are carrying sun-flowers, ’ ’ Peace 
interrupted. 

‘ i Sun-flowers if you wish, ’ ’ and Elizabeth made 
a wry face at her reflection in the mirror. “ I 
called them black-eyed Susans, but sun-flower is 
a better name for them, because this is to be a 
sunshine book. Another coincidence — I have 
written on the fly-leaf the very verse I just quoted : 

“It’s the songs ye sing, and the smiles ye wear 
That’s a-makin’ the sunshine everywhere!’ ” 

“And ain’t the fly’s leaf dec ’rations cute!” 
Peace pointed a stubby forefinger at the painted 
brownie chorus, armed with open song-books and 
broad grins, who seemed waiting only for the 
signal of the leader facing them with baton raised 
and arms extended, to burst into rollicking 
melody. “ I think it’s a splendid book and you’re 
a nangel to give it to me when you meant it for 
someone else. But it ought to have a name. 
Just dairy sounds so milky and barnlike; and I 
don’t like ‘sunbeam book’ real well, either. What 
did you call yours? ” 

Elizabeth laughed. “ Esther’s was ‘Happy 
Moments,’ but I was more ambitious, and called 
mine ‘ Golden Thoughts.’ How would ‘ Sunbeams,’ 
or ‘Gleams of Sunshine’ do for yours? ” 

“ Oh, I like that last one! That’s what I’ll 
call it, and I’ll begin writing now. Shall I use 
pen and ink? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


145 


“ Ink would be best, wouldn’t it? Pencil marks 
soon get rubbed and dingy.” 

“ That’s what I was thinking,” Peace answered 
promptly, for the possibilities of the ink-pot 
always had held a great charm for her, and at 
home her privileges in this direction were con- 
siderably curtailed, ever since she had dyed 
Tabby’s white kittens black to match their mother. 
So she drew up her chair before the orderly desk, 
and began her first literary efforts, having first 
sorted out five blotters, six pen-holders, two 
erasers, a knife and a whole box of pen-points to 
assist her. 

It was a little hard at first to know just what 
to write, but after a few nibbles at the end of her 
pen, she seemed to collect her thoughts, and com- 
menced scratching away so busily on the clean, 
white page that Elizabeth smiled and congratu- 
lated herself on having so easily solved the prob- 
lem of what to do with the restless, little chatter- 
box until she could go back to school the following 
Monday. There were only three days of that week 
remaining, and if the book would just hold the 
child’s attention until these were ended, she should 
count her scheme successful, even though she did 
have to find another present for Jasper’s birthday. 

So she smiled with satisfaction, for Peace had 
become so engrossed with her new amusement 
that she never heard the door-bell ring, nor the 
voice of the visitor in the adjoining room, but 


10 


146 


THE LILAC LADY 


scribbled away energetically until words failed 
her, and she paused to think of something to 
rhyme with “bird.” Then her revery came to 
a sudden end, for through the open door of the 
parlor floated the words, “ And so we decided to 
adopt her resolutions.” 

“ Poor thing,” murmured Peace under her 
breath. “ I s’pose it’s another orphan. Beats 
all how many there are in this world ! I am glad 
she ’s going to be adopted, though ; but if she was 
mine, I’d change her name to something besides 
Resolutions. That’s a whole lot worse ’n Peace. 
It sounds like war.” 

She glanced out of the window, and with a sub- 
dued shout dropped her pen and rushed for her 
coat and rubbers. The rain had ceased and the 
sun was shining! Not only that, but trudging 
down the muddy hill, hand-in-hand and tearful, 
were two small, fat cherubs, the first children 
Peace had seen while she had been visiting the 
parsonage, except as she met the boys and girls 
of the Sunday School. Elizabeth had told her 
that this part of the city was still new, and con- 
sequently few families had settled there as yet; 
but she had longed for other companionship than 
Glen could give her, and this was too good an 
opportunity to miss. So, flinging on her wraps, 
she hurried out of the back door, so as not to 
disturb Elizabeth and her caller, and ran after 
the children already at the street crossing, pre- 


THE LILAC LADY 


147 


paring to wade into the rushing torrent of muddy 
water coursing down the hillside. 

‘ ‘ Oh, wait ! ’ ’ she cried breathlessly, but at the 
sound of her voice both children started guiltily, 
and with a snarl of anger and defiance, plunged 
boldly into the flood, not even glancing behind 
them at the flying, gray-coated figure in pursuit. 
However, the water was swift in the gutter, the 
mud very slippery, and the little tots in too great 
a hurry. So without any warning, two pair of 
feet shot out from under their owners, two 
frightened babies plumped flat in the dirty stream, 
and two voices rose in protest against such an 
unhappy fate. Nevertheless, when Peace waded 
in to their rescue, they fought and bit like wild- 
cats, till she dragged them howling back to the 
sidewalk and safety. Then abruptly the wails 
ceased, two pair of round gray eyes stared 
blankly up at their rescuer, and two voices de- 
manded aggressively, “ Who’s you? ” 

“ Are you twins? ” asked Peace in turn, notic- 
ing for the first time how very much alike were 
the small, snub-nosed, freckled faces of the dirty 
duet. 

“ Yes.” 

“ What are your names? ” 

“ Lewie and Loie.” 
u Lewie and Loie what? ” 

“ That’s all.” 

“ Oh, but you must have another name.” 


148 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ That’s all,” they stubbornly insisted. 

“ Where do you live? ” 

“ Nowhere.” 

“ Haven’t you any mamma? ” 

“ She’s gone.” 

“ But who takes care of you? ” 

“ Nobody,” gulped the one called Loie. 

“ Mittie did, but she runned away and lef ’ us,” 
added Lewie. 

“ Where are you going now? ” 

“ To fin’ mamma.” 

“ But you said she was dead.” 

“ She just goned away and lef’ us, too,” mur- 
mured Loie, looking very much puzzled. 

Peace was delighted. Years and years ago, 
when her grandfather was a boy, he had adopted 
a little, homeless orphan and kept him from being 
taken to the poor-farm. Here were two waifs 
needing love and care. Who had a better right 
to adopt them than she who had found them? 
Grandpa Campbell surely would not turn them 
away, for did he not know what it was to be home- 
less and friendless? But she could not take them 
home while Allee was in bed with scarlet fever, 
and perhaps the Strongs would not feel that they 
could open the parsonage doors to two more chil- 
dren, seeing that the house was so very tiny. 
What could she do with her charges? 

There was a rush of feet on the walk behind 
her, someone gave her a violent push, and she 


THE LILAC LADY 


149 


sprawled full length in the gutter. Surprised, 
drenched to the skin and dazed by her fall, she 
staggered to her feet only to he knocked down 
the second time, while a jeering, mocking voice 
from the sidewalk taunted, “ You’re a pretty 
sight now, you nigger-wool kidnapper! Get up 
and take another dose! I’ll teach you to steal 
children! ” 

Blind with rage and half choked with mud, 
Peace shook the water from her eyes and flew at 
her assailant with vengeance in her heart, pound- 
ing right and left with relentless fists wherever 
she could hit. But the enemy was a larger and 
stronger child, and it would have gone hard with 
the brown-eyed maid had not the minister himself 
arrived unexpectedly upon the scene and sepa- 
rated the two young pugilists, demanding in 
shocked tones, “ Why, Peace, what does this 
mean? I thought you were above fighting.” 

“ She hit me first! ” sputtered Peace, trying to 
wipe the blood from a long scratch on her cheek. 

“ She stole my kids! ” 

“ They are orphans, Saint John, and I was 
going to adopt them like my grandfather did 
Grandpa Campbell.” 

“ They ain’t either orphans! ” shouted the 
other. 

“ They said their mother was dead and they 
had no home.” 

“ Mamma goned away and locked up the 


150 


THE LILAC LADY 


house,-” volunteered Lewie from the parsonage 
porch where he had taken refuge with his twin 
sister at the first sign of the fray. 

“ Are you their sister? ” sternly demanded Mr. 
Strong of the older girl. 

“ No, I ain’t! They live next door and Mrs. 
Hoyt left the kids with me till she got hack.” 

“'Where is your house? ” 

“ On top of the hill,” she muttered sullenly. 

“ Then how does it come they are so far from 
home? ” 

“ They ran away.” 

“ She shut us out of hern house,” said Loie, 
“ and we went to fin’ mamma.” 

Just at this moment the parsonage door 
opened, and Elizabeth’s visitor stepped out on the 
piazza, almost stumbling over the crouching 
twins ; and at sight of them she exclaimed in sur- 
prise, “ Why, Lewis and Lois Hoyt, what are you 
doing down here? Does your mother know where 
you are? ” 

“ Ah, Mrs. Lane, how do you do? ” said the 
minister, extending his hand in greeting. “ Are 
these tots neighbors of yours? ” 

“ They live just across the street from us. I 
often take care of them when the mother is 
away.” Then her eye chanced to fall upon the 
shrinking figure of Mittie, and she demanded 
wrathfully, “ Have you been up to your tricks 
again, Mittie Cole? I shall certainly report you 


THE LILAC LADY 


151 


to your father this time sure. I will take the 
twins home, Mr. Strong. It is too bad your little 
guest has been hurt, but you can mark my words, 
she was not to blame. There is trouble wherever 
Mittie goes. I don’t see why Mrs. Hoyt ever left 
the children with her in the first place. She might 
have known what would happen.” 

Shooing the little brood ahead of her, she 
marched out of sight up the hill, and Peace fol- 
lowed the minister into the house, wailing dis- 
consolately, “ I thought they were orphans and 
I could adopt them like grandpa did.” 

11 But think how nice it is that they have a 
mother and father and a nice home of their own. 
Aren’t you glad they are not friendless waifs ?” 

It was a new thought. Peace paused in her 
lament, and then with a bright smile answered, 
“ It is nicer that way, ain’t it? ’Cause even if 
they had been orphans, maybe grandpa would 
think he had his hands full with the six of us, and 
couldn’t make room for any more. Lewie can 
bite like a badger and I ’magine grandpa 
wouldn’t stand for much of that. Anyway I 
wouldn’t. When I grow bigger and have a house 
of my own, then I can adopt all the children I 
want to, can’t I? Just like that lady that was 
here a minute ago.” 

“ Mrs. Lane? Why, she has no adopted chil- 
dren! ” exclaimed Elizabeth, who had been a 
silent spectator of part of the scene. 


152 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ But I heard her tell you so myself/ , insisted 
Peace. 

“ When? ” 

“ This afternoon while I was writing in my 
book. She said they decided to adopt Resol — 
Resol — something. ’ ’ 

Fortunately the minister was lighting the fire 
in the kitchen stove, so Peace could not see the 
laughter in his face, and Elizabeth had long since 
learned to hide her mirth from the keen childish 
eyes, so she explained, “ It was not a child, 
Peace, which she was talking about. Doesn’t 
your Missionary Band ever adopt resolutions of 
any sort in their business meetings? ” 

“ I never saw any they adopted, though we’re 
s ’porting two orphan heathen in India.” 

Elizabeth could not refrain from smiling slight- 
ly, but she carefully explained to Peace the mean- 
ing of the perplexing phrase, as she bustled about 
her preparations for supper, and the incident was 
apparently forgotten. 

While she was putting things to rights for the 
night, long after the children had been tucked 
away in their beds, she found the preacher seated 
by her desk chuckling over a little book among 
the papers before him, and peeping over his 
shoulder she saw it was the brown and gold vol- 
ume which she had given Peace that afternoon. 
On the fly-leaf, just above the quaint brownie 
chorus, in straggling inky letters, Peace had 


THE LILAC LADY 


153 


penned the title, il Glimmers of Gladness/ ’ this 
being as near as she could recall the name Eliza- 
beth had suggested. Then followed the most ex- 
traordinarily original diary the woman had ever 
seen, and she laughed till the tears ran down her 
cheeks, as she read the words written with such 
painstaking care and plenty of ink: 

“ This is the first dairy I ever kept. Saint 
Elspeth gave me the hook which she ment for 
Jasper Strong, St. John’s brother who wood 
rather be a writer than a huming boy. He ought 
to change places with me, cause I’d rather be a 
live girl any day than a norther which is what 
Gale wants to be and that is one reason I am going 
to keep a dairy as she may find it usful when 
she gets to be famus like St. Elspeth ’s sister 
Ester. I should not want to keep a dairy if I 
had to tend to it every day, but St. Elspeth says 
just to rite when I feel like it which I don’t s’pose 
will be offen as there is usuly something to do 
which I like better. I am riting today becaus it 
rains and I cant go out doors. 

1 ‘ The sparrow is playing in the mud 
Don’t I wish I could, too. 

He don ’t need rubbers on his feet, 

Behind the clouds it’s blue. 

He wears feathers stead of close 
And to him the rain aint wet. 

I wisht that I wore feathers, too, 

Then I’d stay out doors you bet. 


154 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ The raindrop fairy is my newest fairy. I’ll 
tell Allee all about it when she gets well enough 
so’s I can go home. They are very wet but it 
aint their fault. If they wuz dry they wouldnt 
be water. They go about doing lots of good to 
the trees and flowers which couldnt grow without 
water, and we mustn’t fuss cause there is always 
sun somewhere and its a cumfert to no it wont 
rain all the time. When the storm is over the 
raindrop faries strech a net of red and blue and 
green and yellow &C akros the sky which means 
it wont rain any more until the next time. Thats 
the way with huming beings. If we skowl and 
growl we’re making a huming thunder-storm, but 
just as soon as the smile comes out thats the 
rainbow and shows the sun is shining, ’cause there 
is never a rainbow without the sun is in the clouds 
behind it. I’m going to smile and smile after 
this and be a reglar sunflour all myself.” 

“ Dear little Peace,” murmured Elizabeth, as 
she closed the book and laid it back on the desk. 
“ It’s mean to laugh at her precious diary, par- 
ticularly when she has taken such pains with it 
and tried her best to please.” 

“ She’ll make an author yet,” chuckled the 
minister. “I am proud of our little philoso- 
pher. She is scattering more sunshine than she 
dreams of, and some day will harvest a big crop 
of sunflowers.” 


CHAPTER VII 


A VOICE FROM THE LILAC BUSHES 

It was a glorious morning in May. Spring 
had really come at last with its warm, life-giving 
sunshine, and the air was heavy with the smell 
of growing things. Overhead the blue sky was 
clear and cloudless, underfoot the new grass made 
a thick carpet invitingly cool and refreshing. The 
trees were sporting fresh garlands of leaves, and 
in woods and gardens the bright-colored blossoms 
glowed and blushed. How beautiful it all was! 

Peace paused at Elizabeth’s side in the open 
doorway to drink in the rich fragrance of the 
lilacs, whose purple plumes nodded so tempt- 
ingly from the hedge across the way. For days 
it had been part of her morning program to rush 
out of doors as soon as she was dressed to sniff 
hungrily at the lilac-laden air, hut never before 
had they smelled so sweet nor looked so beautiful 
and feathery as they did this morning, for now 
they had reached the height of their perfection. 
Tomorrow some of their beauty would he gone; 
they would be growing old. 

“ Oh, Elspeth, ain’t they lovely? ” she sighed. 
“ Don’t they make you feel like heaven? Wouldn’t 

155 


156 


THE LILAC LADY 


you like a great, big bunch of them under your 
nose always? I wonder why the folks who live 
there don’t give them away. I should if they 
b ’longed to me. Think how many people would 
be glad to get them. May I go over in the field 
to play? I won’t break one of Saint J ohn’s plants 
or touch a single lilac, truly, if I can just play 
where I can smell their smell as it comes fresh 
from the bush. We only get the wee, ragged 
edges of it over here.” 

Elizabeth came out of her own revery at the 
sound of Peace’s gusty sigh of longing, and read- 
ily gave her consent, as this was Saturday morn- 
ing and school did not keep. So, like a bird trying 
its wings after a long imprisonment, the brown- 
eyed maid with arms flapping and curls bobbing, 
skipped happily across the road to the field where 
she had helped the minister plant a little vege- 
table garden, and which already was lined with 
irregular rows of pale green shoots where beans 
and potatoes, turnips and cabbages, had pushed 
their way up through the black earth. 

Peace was even prouder of the small truck 
patch than the preacher himself, if such a thing 
were possible, and it was a favorite pastime of 
both these gardeners to walk back and forth be- 
tween the rows each day and count the tender 
sprouts which had appeared during the night. 
So this morning from force of habit, Peace 
strolled up and down the length of the garden, 


THE LILAC LADY 


157 


counting in a sing-song fashion as she greedily 
filled nostrils and lungs with the sweet scent of 
the lilac bushes just beyond, drawing nearer and 
nearer the hedge with its delicate, dainty sprays. 

Unconsciously her counting changed into the 
humming refrain of the Gleaner’s motto song, 
and she danced lightly down the last row of crisp 
cornblades, joyously chanting words which fitted 
into the happy music: “ Oh, you pretty lilacs, 
growing by the wall! How I’d like to have you 
for my very own. I would pick your blossoms, 
lavender and white, and give them all to sick 
folks, shut in from the light. — Why, that rhymed 
all of its own self! ” 

She paused abruptly beside the lilac bushes, 
her arms still uplifted and fingers outstretched 
as if beckoning to the plumy sprays above her 
head. “ Isn’t it queer how such things will hap- 
pen when if I’d been trying to make poetry in 
my dairy I couldn’t have thought of those words 
for an hour? I guess it was the lilacs that did it. 
Oh, you are so beautiful! You’d make anything 
rhyme, wouldn’t you? What is it that gives you 
your sweetness? I wish you could tell me the 
secret. Oh, you lovely lilacs, growing up so 
high; swinging in the sunshine — ” Again her 
made-up words came to a sudden end, and she 
stood motionless, her head cocked to one side, lis- 
tening intently to a brilliant trill of melody from 
the other side of the hedge. 


158 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ There goes my bird again! Saint John says 
it mnst be a canary which b ’longs to the stone 
house that owns these lilacs, but I don’t b’lieve 
it would sing like that if it was shut up in a cage . 9 9 

She held her breath again to harken to the mu- 
sic, then puckered her lips and mocked its song. 
The feathered musician broke off in the midst 
of his rhapsody, surprised at the strange echo 
of his own notes. There was a moment of silence ; 
then he began again, and once more Peace mim- 
icked the warbler. This time there was a stir on 
the other side of the bushes, and the purple-tas- 
seled branches were cautiously parted where the 
foliage was thinnest, but Peace was too much ab- 
sorbed in watching the topmost boughs — for the 
music seemed to come from overhead some- 
where — to see the startled eyes looking at her 
through the tangle of leaves and blossoms. All 
unconscious of her hidden audience, she joyously 
trilled the canary bird’s chorus. 

Then miracle of miracles — or so it seemed to 
Peace — there was a whir of wings, and a bright- 
eyed, yellow-coated, saucy, little bird perched on 
a twig just above her head. Peace gasped and 
was silent. 

The bird chirped a note of defiance and hopped 
to the branch below. Peace advanced a cautious 
step; the canary did not retreat, but tipped its 
dainty head sidewise and eyed the child curiously. 
A small brown hand shot out unexpectedly, dex- 


THE LILAC LADY 


159 


terously, and the yellow songster found itself a 
helpless prisoner in the child’s tight grasp. 

Peace was almost as surprised as the bird. 
She had not really thought to capture the crea- 
ture so easily, and to find it in her hand sent a 
thrill of delight through her whole being. She 
snuggled it close in her neck and crooned: 

“ You little darling! Saint John was right, 
you are a canary! But I was right, too. You 
ain’t caged. I’m mighty glad I’ve caught you. 
I always did like pets. I wonder what you will 
think of Muffet, grandma’s canary? If I just had 
these lovely lilacs now, little birdie, I’d be per- 
fectly happy. But a bird in the hand is worth — 
a whole bushel of blossoms. I guess I’ll take you 
home to Elspeth — ” 

“ Oh, you mustn’t! ” cried a distressed voice 
behind the purple tassels. “ That is my bird, 
Gypsy. I just let him loose to see if it was really 
you mocking him. Bring him home, won’t you? 
And I’ll give you all the lilacs you want.” 

Startled at the sound of a human voice almost 
at her elbow when she could see no sign of the 
speaker, Peace let go her hold on the frightened 
captive, and with a relieved chirp, it flew out of 
sight among the thick branches. But she made 
no attempt to follow its flight, she was too scared. 
“ Are — are — was it a real woman which did that 
talking? ” chattered Peace, wetting her lips with 
her tongue. 


160 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Yes,” answered the voice, with just the tinge 
of a laugh in it. “ I live in the stone house this 
side of the lilac bushes. I saw you through the 
leaves and heard what you said, but won’t you 
please bring my little Gypsy home? I’ll give you 
all the flowers you want. Go down to the road 
and come in through the front gate. I am here 
in my chair.” 

“ Your bird has gone home already,” Peace 
answered, reassured by this explanation. “ But 
I’ll come and get those lilacs you spoke about.” 

She ran nimbly down the length of the lilac 
hedge, dodged out of sight around the corner, and 
appeared the next moment at the iron gate which 
shut out the street from the grand stone house 
with its wide lawns, great oaks, smooth, flower- 
bordered walks, and splashing fountain. 

“ Oh, how beau-ti-ful! ” cried the child in de- 
light, as the gate swung shut behind her. “ I’ve 
always wanted to know what this place looked 
like, but the tall hedge all along the fence is too 
thick to see through and one can get only a 
teenty peek through the gate. There is your bird 
on top of its cage now. See, I didn’t keep him, 
though I’d like to. He is a splendid singer. I 
sh’d think you’d be the happiest lady in the whole 
world with all these lovely flowers and — are you 
a lady? ” 

For the first time since entering the great gate, 
Peace turned her big, brown eyes full upon the 



“I'll be the most unmissionary person you ever knew yes. 
I'll be a reg’lar heathen if you’ll just speak to me. (bee page 
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THE LILAC LADY 


161 


occupant of the reclining chair in the shade of 
the lilac bushes, and her lively chatter faltered, 
for the face pillowed among the silken cushions 
seemed neither a child’s nor yet a woman’s. The 
eyes, intensely blue and clear, the broad, high 
forehead, the thin cheeks and colorless lips, even 
the heavy braids of brown hair with their auburn 
lights, did not seem to belong to a mere mortal. 
And yet she could not be an angel, for even 
Peace’s youthful, untrained mind swiftly read the 
bitterness and rebellion which lurked in those 
deep, wonderful eyes. It was as if some doomed 
soul were looking out through the bars of a prison 
fortress, without a single ray of hope to break 
the gloom, without a single thought to cheer or 
comfort. And so Peace, in her childish ignor- 
ance, asked, “ Are you a lady? ” 

“ A woman grown,” the sweet voice answered, 
and a faint smile of amusement flitted across the 
marble-white face. 

“ Your — your hair is in braids,” stammered 
Peace, unable to put her subtle feelings into 
words. 

“ It is more restful that way,” the speaker 
sighed; then again that fleeting smile lighted up 
the beautiful features, and holding out her hand 
to the puzzled child, she said coaxingly, “ Tell 
me about yourself. Is it really you who whistles 
so divinely in the garden each morning? I have 
heard it so often but never could locate it before. 


11 


162 


THE LILAC LADY 


Aunt Pen thought it must be another canary at 
the parsonage. It always seemed to come from 
that direction.” 

“ That’s ’cause Saint John and I live there. 
He whistles, too, though I do it the best.” 

“ Saint John? ” The flicker of amusement be- 
came a genuine smile. 

“ That’s the new preacher of Hill Street 
Church. He used to be our minister in Parker 
and he lets me call him by his front name when 
we are alone, but it was so easy to forget and do 
it when we weren’t alone that I named him Saint 
John, ’cause Faith says he is my pattern — no 
patron saint. I call Elizabeth Saint Elspeth, too, 
for the same reason. She is his wife.” 

“ But I thought you were their little girl.” 

* ‘ Mercy, no ! They ain ’t old enough to have a 
little girl my age yet. Glen is their only children. 
I’m just visiting.” 

“You have been with them ever since they 
came here, haven’t you?” 

“ Almost. They were a week ahead of me. 
They moved in from Parker last March, the very 
week before our spring vacation from school, and 
they begged grandpa so hard to let me come and 
help them settle that he said I might. Then Allee 
got the scarlet fever, so I had to stay for a time. 
Just as she was getting well so they ’xpected to 
fumergate ’most any day, Cherry went to work 
and caught it, and now Hope is in bed. There are 


THE LILAC LADY 


163 


two more yet to have it, ’nless you count me, and 
I ain’t going to get it. I don’t think Gail and 
Faith will, either, ’cause they have been staying 
with Frances Sherrar ever since the doctor de- 
cided he knew what ailed Allee. Anyway, they 
had it when they were little.” 

“ What quaint names! ” murmured the lady, 
softly repeating them one by one. 

“ Yes, they are, but as it ain’t our fault, we’ve 
quit fretting about ’em. Our grandfather was a 
minister, and he named us — all but Gail and 
Allee. Papa named the oldest, and mamma named 
the youngest. Grandpa fixed up all the rest.” 

The ludicrous look of resignation in the small 
round face was too much for the questioner, and 
she burst into a rippling peal of laughter, so 
hearty that a much older woman popped a sur- 
prised face out of the door to see what was the 
matter. Peace caught a glimpse of her as she 
vanished within doors once more, and demanded, 
“ Who is that? ” 

“Aunt Pen.” 

“ That’s a quaint name, too. I’d as soon be 
called * pencil’,” she retaliated. 

“ It isn’t very common these days,” smiled the 
woman. “ The real name is Penelope, but I 
shortened it to ‘ Pen.’ Poor Aunt Pen, she has a 
hard time of it.” 

“ Why? I sh’d think it would be easy work 
living in such a beautiful place as this.” 


164 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ A beautiful place isn’t everything in life,” 
came the bitter retort, and the rebellious look 
clouded the lovely eyes once more. 

4 ‘ No, it ain’t,” Peace acknowledged; 4 4 but it’s 
a whole lot. Just s ’posing you had to live in a 
mite of an ugly house without nice things to eat 
or wear and with no father or mother to take 
care of you, and a mortgage you couldn’t pay, 
and an old skinflint of a man ready to slam you 
out-doors and gobble up the farm, furniture and 
everything, the minute the mortgage was due. 
How’d you like that? ” 

“ Have you no father or mother? ” The voice 
was very soft and sweet again, and the blue eyes 
glowed tenderly. 

Peace shook her head. “ They are both inside 
the gates.” 

“ Then who takes care of you? ” 

“ Grandpa Campbell, what was adopted by my 
own grandpa when he was a boy. ’ ’ 

“ Tell me about it, won’t you, dear? ” 

So Peace related the pathetic story of the two 
souls who had gone into the Great Beyond, leav- 
ing the helpless orphan band to battle by them- 
selves ; of the struggle the little brown house had 
witnessed; of the tramp who came begging his 
breakfast, and afterwards proved to be the be- 
loved President of the University; and of the 
beautiful change which had come in their for- 
tunes when he had adopted the whole flock. 


THE LILAC LADY 


165 


When she had finished her recital there were 
tears in the blue eyes, and the white-faced lady 
murmured compassionately, “ Poor little sisters! 
There are so many orphans in this big world. ’ ’ 

Something in her tone and the far-away expres- 
sion of her eyes impelled Peace to say with con- 
viction, “ You are an orphan, too.” 

“ Yes, child.” 

“ Since you were a little girl? ” 

“ Since I was five years old.” 

“ Oh, as little as Allee when mamma died! 
Wasn’t there anyone to take care of you? Did 
your Aunt Pen adopt you? ” 

“ Aunt Pen has always lived with us. I don’t 
remember any other mother.” 

“ And did you always live here? ” 

“ Yes, I was born here. It wasn’t part of the 
city then.” 

“ But you don’t look real old.” 

“I am not real old. I was twenty-four last 
November.” 

‘ ‘ And Gail was nineteen the same month ! 
You’re only four, five years older than she is. 
That’s not much — but there’s a bigger differ- 
ence.” 

“ How, dear? ” 

“ Oh, she looks ’sif she liked to live better ’n 
you do.” 

The woman drew a long, shivering breath and 
closed her eyes as if a spasm of pain had seized 


166 


THE LILAC LADY 


her; and Peace, frightened at the death-like pal- 
lor of the face, quavered, “ Oh, don’t faint! What 
is the matter? Are you sick? Or is it just a chill? 
Maybe you better run around a hit until you get 
warm. ’ ’ 

The deep, unfathomable blue eyes opened, and 
the voice said bitterly, “ I can never run again. 
I must lie in this chair all the rest of my life with 
nothing to do but think, think, think! Do you 
wonder now that I am not happy? Do you under- 
stand now why Aunt Pen has a hard time? Do 
you see the reason for that tall, thick hedge all 
around the yard? ” 

“ No,” Peace replied bluntly. “ I can’t see a 
mite of sense in it! If I had to live in a chair 
all my days, I’d want it where I could watch the 
world go by. I’d cut down all the hedges and 
let the sun shine in. If I couldn’t run about my- 
self, I’d just watch the folks that did have good 
feet. I’d wave my hands at the children and give 
’em flowers, and they’d come and talk to me when 
I was tired of reading. I’d have a bird like 
you’ve got, and I’d make a pet of it, too. I’d 
have more’n one; I’d have a whole m’nagerie 
of dogs and cats and rabbits and squirrels and — 
and ponies, maybe, and a monkey or two. And 
I’d teach them to do tricks, and then I’d call all 
the poor little children who can’t go to the cir- 
cus to see my animals perform. I’d have gardens 
of flowers for the sick people and vegetables for 


THE LILAC LADY 


167 


those who haven’t any place to raise their own 
and no money to buy them. That’s what Saint 
John is going to do with all they don’t use at the 
parsonage. I’d make a park of my back yard 
and let dirty children play there so’s they would 
not get run over in the street; I’d — oh, there are 
so many things I’d do to enjoy myself! ” 

Peace paused for breath, the well of her imagi- 
nation run dry, but her face was so radiant that 
instinctively her listener knew these were not 
idle words, though she could not keep the hard 
tone out of her voice as she answered, i ‘ Ah, that 
is easy enough to say, but — wait until you are 
where I am now, and I think you will find it lots 
harder to practice what you preach. You will 
turn your face to the wall, say good-bye to those 
who you thought were your friends, build a high 
fence around yourself and hide — hide from the 
world and everything! ” 

“ Oh, no,” Peace protested, shuddering at the 
picture she had drawn. “ I should die if I 
couldn’t see the sun and flowers and kind faces 
of the folks I love. But — it — would be — awfully 
hard never to walk again.” 

“ Hard? It is torture I ” She had forgotten 
that she was talking to a mere child, one who 
could not understand what it was to have dearest 
ambitions thwarted, one who could not even know 
yet what it was to have ambitions. “ I had 
dreamed of being a great singer some day — ” 


168 


THE LILAC LADY 


u Oh, do you sing? ” cried Peace, who was 
passionately fond of music in whatever guise it 
came. 

“ Masters said I could — ” 

6 ‘ Then please sing for me. I can only whistle, 
and then folks say, 

“ ‘Whistling girls and crowing hens 
Always come to some bad ends. ’ 

“ I’d like awfully much to hear you sing. ,, 

“ Oh, I don’t sing any more! That is all past 
now; but oh, how I loved it! We were going to 
Europe, Aunt Pen and I, and when we came back 
after months and years of study, I thought I 
should be a — Jenny Lind, perhaps. I thought of 
it by day, I dreamed of it by night. It was every- 
thing to me. And then — my horse fell — and here 
I am.” 

“ Was it long ago? 99 whispered Peace, strange- 
ly stirred by the passionate words of the girl be- 
fore her. 

“ Five years.” 

“ And you’ve been here ever since? ” 

“ Ever since.” 

Oh, the hopelessness of the words, the bitter- 
ness of the face! 

Involuntarily Peace turned her eyes away, and 
as her glance fell upon the delicate bloom of the 
lilac bushes beside her, she began to hum under 


THE LILAC LADY 


169 


her breath, “ Oh, you lovely lilacs, growing up 
so high.” 

“ Sing to me,” commanded the lame girl im- 
periously. 

“ Sing? I can’t sing! All I can do is whistle.” 

“ But you were singing just now.” 

“ I was humming.” 

“ Don’t quibble!” A faint smile smoothed 
away the hard lines about the young mouth. 
“ Please sing that little tune for me. I have 
heard you so often in the garden and that seems 
quite a favorite of yours, but I can never make 
out the words.” 

“ That’s ’cause the words ain’t usu’ly alike.” 

“ What? ” 

‘ 1 Why, Allee and me have always fitted talking 
words into our song music and — ” 

“ I don’t understand, I am afraid.” 

“ Why, we just sing things instead of talking 
them like other folks would. They don’t rhyme, 
but they fit into tunes which we like, and our 
Gleaners’ motto song is our favorite, so that’s the 
one we usu’ly hum, and that’s how you hear it 
so much.” 

“ Then sing the motto song. The tune is very 
pretty.” 

“ Yes, it is pretty, but the reason we like it 
so well is ’cause it sounds glad. We never can 
sing it when we’re cross or bad. It’s made just 
for sunshine.” 


170 


THE LILAC LADY 


Softly she began to chant the words : 

“ ‘In a world where sorrow 
Ever will be known 
Where are found the needy 
And the sad and lone.’ ” 

Peace was right in saying that she could not 
sing, and yet her happy voice, warbling out those 
joyous words, made very sweet music that bright 
May morning. The lines of weariness gradually 
left the invalid’s face, a feeling of rest stole over 
her, and with a tired little sigh, she closed her 
eyes. 

“ ‘When the days are gloomy, 

Sing some happy song, 

Meet the world’s repining 
With a courage strong; 

‘ ‘Go with faith undaunted 
Thro’ the ills of life, 

Scatter smiles and sunshine 
O’er its toil and strife,’ ” 

piped Peace, staring at the waving plumes of 
lavender above her head. 

“ ‘Sca-atter sunshine all along your wa-ay, 

Cheer and bless and bri-ighten — ’ ” 

The song ceased in the midst of the chorus. 

The big blue eyes flashed open and the lame 
girl demanded in surprise. ‘ ‘ Why did you stop f 9 ’ 


THE LILAC LADY 


171 


“ Oh,” breathed Peace, a look of great relief 
passing over her face, “ I thought sure you’d 
gone to sleep and I wouldn’t get my lilacs after 
all.” 

“ You little goosie! I don’t go to sleep that 
easily. Sing the chorus again for me, and then 
Hicks shall cut all the flowers you can carry.” 

“ He better begin now, then, ’cause the chorus 
ain’t long and it sounds ’sif Elspeth was calling 
me. I’ve been out of sight from the parsonage 
quite a spell and likely she’s getting anxious. 
Besides, Glen may be awake and wanting me.” 

“ Very well,” she laughed. “ Hicks shall be- 
gin right away. See, there he comes with his 
basket and scissors. Now sing.” 

So Peace repeated the sprightly chorus with a 
vim, and was rewarded with such a huge bouquet 
of the fragrant blossoms that she was almost 
hidden from sight as she stood clasping them 
tightly in her arms, and exclaiming in rapture, 
“ All for me? Oh, dear Lilac Lady, I didn’t 
’xpect that many! You better have Aunt Pen 
put some of these in the house for you. ’ ’ 

“ No, I don’t want them in my house! ” ex- 
claimed the girl fiercely. “ They are all for you — 
and Saint Elspeth.” 

“ Oh, she’ll love you for sending them. Can I 
bring her over to see you? Her and Saint John? ” 

“ No, I don’t care to meet them. Saint John 
has already called, but — I sent him away again.” 


172 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Then — I s’pose — you won’t care to have me 
call again either.” 

This beautiful garden seemed like the Promised 
Land to Peace’s childish eyes, and the thought 
of never being allowed to enter it again was 
dreadful. 

“ Oh, yes, do come again! You must come 
again! Come every day. No, not every day. 
Some days I couldn’t see you if you came. I 
will hang a white cloth on the lilac bushes — see, — 
on the other side, where you can see it from the 
parsonage, and you will come then, won’t you? ” 

4 4 Yes, if Elspeth doesn’t need me and Glen 
is asleep. He likes flowers, too, even if he is just 
a baby, and he never tears them to pieces.” 

“ I’ll have Hicks cut you some tulips — ” 

“ You better not today. I’ll get them next 
time I come. These are all I can carry now, and 
they are a lot too many for our little parsonage. 
But I’m awful glad you gave me such a big 
bunch, ’cause there are ever so many of the 
church people sick, and Elspeth will be so pleased 
to have me distribit bouquets amongst ’em. Some 
of ’em it will be like slinging coals of fire at their 
heads, too. There’s old Deacon Hopper for one. 
He doesn’t like Saint John and calls him a med- 
dlesome monkey of a minister. Now he’s sick, I’ll 
take him a bunch of lilacs and tell him the meddle- 
some monkey’s minister has sent him some flow- 
ers and hopes he soon gets onto his feet again. 


THE LILAC LADY 


173 


“ Mittie Cole is another that needs some tire 
on her head. She pushed me into the gutter 
three times the day I tried to adopt the runaway 
twins, and we’d have had a grand scrimmage if 
Saint John hadn’t happened along to stop it. 
But she’s got lung fever now, and there was days 
the doctor said she wouldn’t live. I reckon she 
doesn’t feel much like fighting any more, but 
likely she’ll enjoy the smell of these lovely lilacs. 
She seemed awful glad to see me the day I carried 
her some chicken broth. 

“ The Foster baby is sick, and Grandma Deane, 
and little Freddie James, and Mrs. Hoover, and 
Dan’l Fielding. You see that’s quite a bunch, 
and it will take a big lot of flowers to go around. 
I’ll tell ’em all that you sent ’em — ” 

“ No, indeed! ” There was real alarm in her 
voice. “ Because I did not send them. I gave 
them to you.” 

“ But if you hadn’t given them to me, I 
couldn’t share ’em with other folks, so it’s really 
you who is to blame. You — you don’t care if I 
give some away, do you? ” 

“ Certainly not, dear. You may give them all 
away if it will make you any happier.” 

“ Oh, it does! I just love to see sick faces 
smile when someone brings in flowers to smell or 
nice things to eat. Miss Edith sometimes takes 
us to the hospital with bouquets to distribit, and 
my ! how glad the patients are to get them. They 


174 


THE LILAC LADY 


say it is almost as good as a breath of real, genu- 
ine air. Pm going with Saint Elspeth tomorrow 
afternoon — ” 

“ Then you must come over here and get some 
more lilacs. Hicks will cut all you can carry. ’ ’ 

“ Oh, do you mean it? You darling Lilac 
Lady — that’s what I mean to call you always, 
’cause you give away so many lilacs to make other 
folks happy. I’ll bring the biggest basket I can 
find. There is Elspeth calling again. I must 
hurry home.” 

“ You haven’t told me your name yet. I for- 
got to ask it before, but if I am to be your 
Lilac Lady, I must know what to call you, too.” 

“ Peace — Peace Greenfield. Good-bye. I’ll be 
here tomorrow just the minute dinner is over.” 

The blue eyes followed her longingly as she 
danced away through the fresh clover and dis- 
appeared beyond the heavy gates. Then the lame 
girl turned in her chair, — almost against her will, 
it seemed — and looked up at the fragrant purple 
plumes nodding above her head. “ Peace,” she 
murmured. ‘ ‘ How odd! ‘ The peace which pass- 
eth understanding.’ ” 


CHAPTER VIII 


A PICNIC IN THE ENCHANTED GARDEN 

After that Peace came often to the handsome 
stone house, half hidden from the road by its 
thick hedges and giant trees. Almost daily the 
white cloth fluttered its summons from the lilac 
bushes, and Elizabeth, having heard the sad story 
of the young girl mistress, rejoiced that the 
tumble-haired, merry-hearted little romp could 
bring even a gleam of sunshine into that darkened 
life. 

At first it was the great, beautiful gardens 
which lured the child through the iron gates, for 
she could not understand the different moods of 
the imperious young invalid, and secretly stood 
somewhat in awe of her. But gradually the nat- 
ural childish vivacity and quaint philosophy of 
the smaller maid tore down the barriers behind 
which the older girl had so long screened herself, 
and Peace found to her great amazement that 
the white-faced invalid, who could never leave 
her chair again, was a wonderful story-teller and 
a perfect witch at inventing new games and plan- 
ning delightful surprises to make each visit a real 
event for this guest. So the calls grew more and 
175 


176 


THE LILAC LADY 


more frequent and tile chance acquaintance blos- 
somed into a deep, tender friendship. 

Of course, Peace did not realize how much 
sweetness and sunshine she was bringing into the 
garden with her, but in her ignorance supposed 
that the many visits were all for her own happi- 
ness. How could she know that her lively prattle 
was making the weary days bearable for the frail 
sufferer? And had anyone tried to tell her what 
an important part she was playing in that life 
drama, she would not have believed it. Perhaps 
it was the very unconsciousness of her power 
which made her such a beautiful comrade for the 
aching heart imprisoned in the garden. At any 
rate, Peace not only made friends with the lonely 
Lilac Lady, but she also captivated gentle Aunt 
Pen and the adoring Hicks, who met her with 
beaming faces whenever she entered the garden, 
and sighed when the brief hours were over. But 
none of them would listen to her bringing Elspeth 
or the minister, much to her bewilderment. 

‘ 1 It isn’t because 1 don’t want them,” ex- 
plained Aunt Pen one day when Peace had 
pleaded with her and had been grieved at her 
refusal. * ‘ Your Lilac Lady isn’t ready to receive 
other callers yet. You can’t understand now, 
dearie. God grant you may never understand. 
She shut herself up four years ago when she 
found out that she would never get well enough 
to walk again, and you are the first person she 


THE LILAC LADY 


177 


has ever seen since that time, except her own 
household and the physician. Perhaps you are 
the opening wedge, child. Oh, I trust it may be 
so! ” 

Peace did not understand what an opening 
wedge was, but it did not sound very appetizing, 
and she had grave doubts as to whether she had 
better continue her visits under such conditions. 
But when she went to Elizabeth with the story, 
that wise little woman answered her by singing: 

“ ‘Slightest actions often 
Meet the sorest needs, 

For the world wants daily, 

Little kindly deeds; 

Oh, what care and sorrow 
You may help remove, 

With your songs and courage, 

Sympathy and love/ ” 

Peace was comforted and went back to the 
shady garden with a deeper desire to brighten the 
long, dreary, aimless days of the helpless invalid. 
She said no more about introducing her beloved 
minister’s family, but in secret she still mourned 
because the lame girl so steadfastly refused to 
welcome her dearest friends. 

So the days flew swiftly by and the month of 
May was gone. Summer was early that year, and 
the first day of June dawned sultry and still over 


12 


178 


THE LILAC LADY 


the sweltering city. It was a half -holiday at the 
Chestnut School, so Peace returned home at noon, 
hot, perspiring, but radiant at the thought of no 
more lessons till the morrow. She came a round- 
about way in order to pass the great gates of the 
stone mansion, hoping to catch a glimpse of the 
well-known chair under the lilac bushes; but the 
lawn was deserted, and she was disappointed, for 
she had counted much on spending these unex- 
pected leisure hours in the cool garden with the 
lame girl. 

To add to her woe, she found Elizabeth lying 
on the couch in the darkened study, suffering 
from a nerve-racking headache, and the preacher, 
looking very droll togged out in his little wife’s 
kitchen-apron, was flying about serving up the 
scorched, unseasoned dinner for the forlorn fam- 
ily. He was too much concerned over the illness 
of the mistress and the unfinished condition of 
his next Sunday’s sermon to sample his own cook- 
ing, and as Glen fell asleep over his bowl of bread 
and milk, Peace was left entirely to her own de- 
vices when the meal was ended. 

It was too hot to romp, it was too hot to read, 
and there was no one to play with. She swung 
idly in the hammock until the very motion was 
maddening. She prowled through the grove be- 
hind the church, she dug industriously in the 
small flower garden under the east window, she 
did everything she could think of to make the 


THE LILAC LADY 


179 


time pass quickly, but at length threw herself 
once more into the hammock with a discouraged 
sigh. 

“ School might better have kept all day. It is 
horrid to stay home with nothing to do that's 
int 'resting. I've watched all the afternoon for 
the Lilac Lady's table-cloth and haven't had a 
peek of it yet. But there — I don't s'pose she'd 
know there was only one session today, so she 
ain't apt to hang it out until time for school to 
let out, like she usu'ly does. Guess I'll just walk 
over in that d'rection and see if she ain't under 
the trees yet. It's been two days since I've seen 
a glimpse of her. Hicks says she's been dreadful 
bad again. P'raps I better take her some flowers 
this time — and there is that little strawberry pie 
Elspeth made for my very own. I might take her 
some sandwiches, too, — yes, I'll do it! " 

She tiptoed softly into the house, so as not to 
disturb the two slumberers, and went in search 
of the minister in order to lay her plan before 
him ; but he, too, had fallen asleep and lay 
sprawled full length by the open window, beside 
his half-written manuscript. 

“ If that ain't just the way! " spluttered Peace 
under her breath. * ‘ I never did go to tell anyone 
nice plans but they went to sleep or were too 
busy to be disturbed. Well, I'll do it anyway. I 
know they won't care a single speck. I'll ask 'em 
when I get home and they are awake." 


180 


THE LILAC LADY 


Back to the kitchen she stole, and into the tiny 
pantry, where for the next few minutes she indus- 
triously cut and buttered bread, made sand- 
wiches, sliced cake and packed lunch enough for 
a dozen in the picnic hamper which she found 
hanging on a nail in the shed. With this on her 
arm, she returned to the little garden under the 
window and dug up her choicest flowers, stacked 
them in an old shoe-box with plenty of black 
dirt, as she had often seen Hicks do, and departed 
with her luggage for the stone house across the 
corner. 

She paused at the heavy gates, wondering for 
the first time whether or not she would be wel- 
come at this time, when no signal had fluttered 
from the lilac bushes, but at sight of the motion- 
less figure under the largest oak, her doubts van- 
ished, and, boldly opening the gate, she marched 
up the gravel path and across the lawn toward the 
familiar chair, bearing the lunch-basket on one 
arm and a huge box of cheerful-faced pansies on 
the other. 

Hearing the click of the latch and the sound of 
steps on the walk, the lame girl frowned impa- 
tiently, and without opening her eyes, said peev- 
ishly, “ If you have any errand here, go on to 
the house. I won’t be bothered.” 

“ Oh, Pm sorry,” cried Peace in mournful 
tones. “ I brought a picnic with me, but — ” 

The big blue eyes flashed wide in surprise, and 


THE LILAC LADY 


181 


their owner demanded sharply, “ Why did you 
come this time of day? I have not sent for you.” 

“ I didn’t say you had. I came ’cause I thought 
you’d be glad to see me, but if you ain’t, I’ll go 
straight home again and eat my picnic all alone, 
and plant my flowers in my garden again. You 
don’t have to have them if you don’t want ’em.” 

She whirled on her heel and stamped angrily 
across the grass toward the gate, too hurt to keep 
the tears from her eyes, and too proud to let her 
companion see how deeply wounded she was. 

Astonished at this flash of gunpowder, the lame 
girl cried contritely, ‘ 1 Oh, don ’t go away, Peace ! 
I didn’t mean to be cross to you. This has been 
such a hard week, dear, I hardly know what I 
am doing half the time. ’ ’ 

“ Is the pain so bad? ” whispered Peace ten- 
derly, dropping on her knees before the sufferer, 
having already forgotten her own grievance in 
her longing to ease and comfort the poor, aching 
back. 

“ It is better now,” answered the girl, smiling 
wanly at the sympathetic face bending over her. 
“ The heat always makes it worse, hut I do 
believe it is growing cooler now. Feel the breeze ? 
What have you brought me? A picnic lunch! ” 

“ Yes — my strawberry pie — ” 

“ Did Mrs. Strong know? ” 

“ She made the pie all for my very own self 
to do just what I please with. Don’t you like 


182 


THE LILAC LADY 


strawberry pie? ” Peace paused in her task of 
unpacking the basket to look up questioningly at 
the face among the pillows. 

“ Oh, yes, dear, I am very fond of it, and it 
is sweet of you to share yours with me. I shall 
put my half away for tea.” 

“ Oh, you mustn’t do that,” protested the ar- 
dent little picnicker, passing her a plate of gen- 
erously thick, ragged looking sandwiches, spread 
with great chunks of butter fresh from the ice- 
box, and filled with delicate slices of pink ham. 
“ I want you to eat it with me. This is a ’spe- 
cially good pie, and Elspeth can ’most beat Faith 
when it comes to dough. Mrs. Deacon Hopper 
sent us the ham — a whole one, all boiled and baked 
with sugar and cloves. It’s simply fine! The 
lilacs I took the deacon did the work all right. 
He was so tickled that he got over being grumpy, 
and calls Saint John a promising preacher now. 
Please taste the sandwiches. I know you’ll like 
them even if I didn’t get the bread cut real even 
and nice. Then after we get through eating, 
I’ll plant the pansies.” 

“ Pansies! ” She stared past the brown head 
bobbing over the hamper, to the box of nodding 
blossoms in the grass. “ What made you bring 
me pansies? ” 

“ ’Cause you ain’t got any, and no garden looks 
quite finished without some of those flowers in it. 
Don’t you think so? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


183 


“ I de-spise pansies! ” 

Peace eyed her in horrified amazement an in- 
stant, then swept the rejected blossoms out of 
sight beneath the basket cover, saying tartly, 
“ Yon needn’t be ngly about it! I can take them 
home again. I s ’posed of course you liked them. 
I didn’t know the garden was empty of them 
’cause you wouldn’t have them. I think they are 
the prettiest flower growing, next to lilacs and 
roses.” 

“ Those mocking little faces? ” 

“ Those darling, giggly smiles! ” 

“ What? ” 

“ Didn’t you ever see a giggling pansy? ” 

“ No, I can’t say I ever did.” A faint trace 
of amusement stole around the corners of the 
white lips. 

“ Well, here’s one. Oh, I forgot! You despise 
them! ” She had half lifted a gorgeous yellow 
blossom from the hidden box, but at second 
thought dropped it back in the loose earth. 

1 1 Let me see it ! ” The Lilac Lady extended 
one blue-veined hand with the imperious gesture 
which Peace had learned to know and obey. Si- 
lently she thrust the moist plant into the out- 
stretched fingers, and gravely watched while the 
keen blue eyes studied the golden petals which, as 
Peace had declared, seemed fairly teeming with 
sunshine and laughter. “ It does — look rather — 
cheerful,” she conceded at length. 


184 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ That is just what I thought. I named it 
Hope.” 

“ Hope! The name is appropriate.” 

“ Yes, it is very ’propriate. Hope is always 
so sunshiny and smily — ” 

“ Oh, you named it for your sister.” 

“ Who did you think it was named for? ” 

“ I didn’t understand. Is it a habit of yours 
to name all your flowers? ” 

“ N-o, not all. But we gener’ly name our 
pansies, Allee and me. See, this beautiful white 
one with just a tiny speck of yellow in the middle 
I called my Lilac Lady.” 

“ Why? 99 A queer little choke came in her 
throat at these unexpected words, and she turned 
her eyes away that Peace might not see the tears 
which dimmed her sight. 

“ You looked so sweet and like a nangel the 
first time I saw you, and this pansy has a reg’lar 
angel face.” 

“ Don’t I look sweet and like an angel any 
more? 99 

“ Some days — whenever you want to. But lots 
of times I guess you don’t care how you look,” 
was the reply, as the busy fingers sorted out the 
different colored blossoms from the box, all un- 
conscious of the stinging arrow she had just shot 
into the heart of her friend. “ This blue one’s 
Allee. Blue means truth, grandma says, and 
Allee is true blue. Red in our flag stands for 


THE LILAC LADY 


185 


valor. Cherry ain’t very brave, but I named this 
for her anyway, in hopes she’d ask why and I 
could tell her. Then maybe when she found out 
that folks thought she was a ’fraid cat, she’d get 
over it. Don’t you think she would? ” 

“ Perhaps — if you were her teacher,” the older 
girl answered absently. “ Who is the black one? ” 

“ Grandpa. Isn’t it a whopper? He is real 
tall but not fat like the flower. He always wears 
black at the University — that’s why I picked that 
one for him. This one is grandma and here is 
Gail. The striped one is Faith. She is good in 
streaks, but she can be awful cross sometimes, 
too, — like you. This tiny one is Glen, and the 
big, brown, spotted feller is Aunt Pen. It makes 
me think of old Cockletop, a mother hen we used 
to have in Parker, which ’dopted everything it 
could find wandering around loose. That’s what 
Aunt Pen looks as if she ’d like to do. ’ ’ 

This was too much for the lame girl’s risibles, 
and she laughed outright, long and loud, to 
Peace’s secret delight, for when the Lilac Lady 
laughed it was a sure sign that she was feeling 
better. 

When she had recovered her composure, she 
said gravely, “ Speaking of Aunt Pen reminds 
me that she told me this morning the cook had 
made some chicken patties for my special benefit 
and was hurt to think I refused them. You might 
run up to the house and ask for them now to go 


186 


THE LILAC LADY 


with our picnic lunch. Minnie will give them to 
you — cold, please. Some lemonade would taste 
good, too. Aunt Pen knows how to make it to 
perfection.” 

Peace was gone almost before she had finished 
giving her directions, and as she watched the nim- 
ble feet skimming through the clover, she smiled 
tenderly, then sighed and looked sadly down at 
her own useless limbs which would never bear her 
weight again. How many years of existence 
must she endure in her crippled helplessness? 
Oh, the bitterness of it! And yet as she gazed at 
the slippers which never wore out, and compared 
her lot with that of the dancing, curly-haired 
sprite, tumbling eagerly up the kitchen steps 
after the promised goodies, the old, weary look 
of utter despair did not quite come back into the 
deep blue eyes ; but through the bitterness of her 
rebellion flashed a faint gleam of something akin 
to hope. She was thinking of Peace’s latest sun- 
shine quotation which had been laboriously en- 
tered in the little brown and gold volume and 
brought to her for her inspection: 

* ‘ ‘ To live in hope, to trust in right, 

To smile when shadows start, 

To walk through darkness as through light, 
With sunshine in the heart.’ ” 

Below the little stanza, Peace had penned her 
own version of the words in her quaint language : 


THE LILAC LADY 


187 


44 This means to smile no matter how bad the 
world goes round and to keep on smiling till the 
hurt is gone. It don ’t cost any more to smile than 
it does to be uggly, and it pays a heep site 
better.’ ’ 

What a dear little philosopher the child was! 
A sudden desire to meet the other sisters of that 
happy family sprang up within her heart. Why 
should she stay shut away from the world like 
a nun in her cloister ? What had she gained by it 1 
Nothing but bitterness! And think of the joys 
she had missed ! 

An insistent rustling of the lilac bushes behind 
her caught her attention, and by carefully rais- 
ing her head she could see the thick branches 
close to the ground bending and giving, as a 
small, dark object twisted and grunted and wrig- 
gled its way through the tiny opening it had man- 
aged to find in the hedge. 

The girl’s first impulse was to scream for help, 
but a second glance told her that it was not an 
animal pushing its way through the twigs, for 
animals do not wear blue gingham rompers. So 
she held her breath and waited, and at last she 
was rewarded by seeing a round, flushed, inquisi- 
tive baby face peeping through the leaves at her. 
She smiled and held out her hands, and with a 
gurgle of gladness, the little fellow gave a final 
struggle, scrambled to his feet and toddled un- 
steadily across the lawn to her chair, jabbering 


188 


THE LILAC LADY 


baby lingo, the only word of which she could 
understand was, “Peace.” 

“ Are you Glen? ” she demanded, smoothing 
the soft black hair so like his father’s. 

“ G’en,” he repeated, parrot fashion. 

“ Where is your mamma? ” 

‘ ‘ Mamma. ’ ’ He pointed in the direction he had 
come, and gurgled, “ S’eep. Papa s’eep. All 
gone. ’ ’ 

The baby himself looked as if he had just 
awakened from a nap. One cheek was rosier than 
the other, his hair lay in damp rings all over his 
head, and his feet were bare and earth-stained 
from his scramble through the vegetable garden 
on the other side of the hedge. 

A sudden gust of cool wind blew through the 
trees overhead, a rattling peal of thunder jarred 
the earth, a blinding flash of lightning startled 
both girl and baby, and before either knew what 
had happened, a torrent of rain dashed down 
upon them. The storm which had been brewing 
all that sultry day broke in its fury. Hicks came 
running from the stable to the rescue of his help- 
less young mistress, Aunt Pen flew out of the 
house like a distracted hen, and Peace rushed 
frantically to the garden to save the precious 
picnic lunch and the box of pansies which were 
to be planted under the gnarled old oak nearest 
the lame girl’s window. 

So it happened that baby Glen was borne away 


THE LILAC LADY 


189 


into the great house to wait until the deluge of 
rain and hail should cease. In the flurry of get- 
ting everything under shelter, no one thought of 
the mother at home, crazed with anxiety and 
fright; and the whole group was startled a few 
moments later to behold a bare-headed, wild-eyed 
woman, drenched to the skin, dash through the 
iron gates, up the walk, and straight into the 
house itself, without ever stopping to knock. 

“ It’s Elspeth! ” cried Peace, first to find her 
voice. 

“ Glen, where’s Glen? ” was all the frantic 
mother could gasp as she stood tottering and 
dripping in the doorway. 

“ Ma-ma,” lisped the little runaway, struggling 
down from Aunt Pen’s lap where he had been 
cuddling, and running into Elizabeth’s arms. 

“ Peace, why did you take him without saying 
a word? ” she reproached, sinking into the near- 
est chair, and hugging her small son close to her 
breast. 

“ I didn’t — ” Peace began. 

i < I think he must have run away, ’ ’ volunteered 
the Lilac Lady, staring fixedly at Elizabeth’s 
face with almost frightened eyes. “ He squirmed 
through the hedge while I was alone in the gar- 
den. I had not seen the storm approaching, and 
it broke before I could call Peace or — ” 

At the sound of the sweet voice, Elizabeth had 
abruptly risen to her feet, and after one search- 


190 


THE LILAC LADY 


ing glance at the white face among the cushions, 
cried out with girlish glee, * 1 Myra ! Can it be 
that Peace’s Lilac Lady is my dear old chum? ” 
“ You are the same darling Beth! 99 cried the 
lame girl hysterically, clinging to the wet hand 
outstretched to hers. “ Why didn’t I guess it 
before? Oh, I have wanted you so often — but I 
never dreamed of finding you here. And to think 
I have refused all this while to let Peace bring 
you! ” 

“ No, don’t think about that. Her desire is 
accomplished, however it came about — and you 
are going to let me stay? ” 

“ I would keep you with me always if I could. 
I have been learning Peace’s philosophy and find 
it very — ” 

“ Peaceful? ” They laughed together, and in 
that laugh sounded the doom of the hedges which 
Peace had lamented so long. 


CHAPTER IX 


GIUSEPPE NICOLI AND THE MONKEY 

The next morning dawned bright and clear and 
cool, and Peace, hurrying to school with her nose 
buried in a great bunch of early roses from the 
stone house, pranced gaily down the hill chant- 
ing under her breath, “ Roses, roses, yellow, red 
and white, you are surely lovely, sweet and 
bright — another rhyme ! They always come when 
I ain’t trying to make ’em. I wonder if I’ll ever 
be a big poet like Longfellow was. It must be 
nice to have folks learn the things you write and 
speak ’em at concerts and school exercises like 
I’m going to do his 6 Children’s Hour ’ next Fri- 
day. I’ve got it so I can say it backwards almost. 
Elizabeth says I know it perfectly. I hope Miss 
Peyton will think the same way. She is lots 
harder to please and I ’most never can do any- 
thing to suit her.” 

She sighed dolefully, for her ludicrous mistakes 
and blunt remarks were the bane of her new 
teacher’s methodical life, and many an hour she 
had been kept after school as a punishment for 
her unruly tongue. 

Unfortunately, Miss Peyton belonged to that 
great army of teachers who teach because they 


191 


192 


THE LILAC LADY 


must, and not because they love the work. To be 
sure, she was most just and impartial in her 
treatment of the fifty scholars under her super- 
vision, but, possessed of about as much imagina- 
tion as a cat, she failed to analyze or understand 
the dispositions of her charges ; and well-meaning 
Peace was usually in disgrace. 

But her sunny nature could not stay unhappy 
long, and as she thrust her small nose deeper 
among the fragrant blossoms, she smilingly 
added, “ I guess she’ll like these roses, anyway. 
They are the prettiest I ever saw, even in green- 
houses. There goes the first bell. I ’xpected to 
be there early this morning, but likely Annie 
Simms has beat me again. Well, I don’t care, 
there is only one more week of school and then 
vacation — and p’raps I can go home. Why, what 
a crowd there is on the walk ! I wonder if some- 
one is hurt again. Where can the principal be? ” 

She broke into a run, forgetful of her cherished 
bouquet, and dashed heedlessly across the school- 
grounds to the group of excited, shouting boys 
and girls/ gathered around the tallest linden, 
throwing stones and missiles of all sorts up into 
the branches at some object which Peace could 
not see. But as she drew near, she could hear 
a queer, distressed chattering, which reminded 
her of the monkeys in the park zoo, and turning 
to one of her mates, she demanded, “ What is 
it the boys have got treed there? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


193 


“ A monkey.” 

“ A monkey? ” shrieked Peace in real surprise. 
“ Where did they get him? ” 

“ I guess he b Tongs to a hand-organ man. He’s 
dressed in funny little pants and a red cap. Tliad 
DePugh found him on his way to school and tried 
to catch him, but he run up the tree.” 

“ And you stand there without saying a word 
and let them stone a poor little helpless 
monkey! ” 

“ It don’t b’long to me,” muttered the child, 
angered by the indignant flash of the brown e> ^ 
and the scathing rebuke which seemed directed 
against her alone. “ Anyway, I ain’t stoning it.” 

“ You ain’t helping, either. Let me through 
here! ” She pushed anJ elbowed her way into 
the midst of the throng and boldly confronted 
the ringleaders of the tormentors, screaming in 
protest, “ Don’t you throw another stone, you big 
bullies! Ain’t you ashamed of yourself, trying 
to kill that poor little thing! ” 

“We ain’t trying to kill it,” retorted the near- 
est chap, pausing with his arm uplifted ready to 
pitch another pebble. 

“ You mind your own business! ” growled an- 
other. “ This monkey isn’t yours. We’re trying 
to make it come down so we can catch it.” 

“ You’ll quit throwing things at it, or I’ll tell 
Miss Curtis.” 

“ Tattle-tale, tattle-tale! ” mocked the throng, 


13 


194 


THE LILAC LADY 


and another handful of rocks flew up among the 
branches. 

“ O-h-h-h-h! ” shrieked Peace, beside herself 
with rage. “ You d ’serve to have the stuffing 
whaled out of you for that! ” 

Flinging aside the treasured roses, she seized 
the biggest boy by the hair and jerked him mer- 
cilessly back and forth across the yard, while he 
sought in vain to loosen the supple fingers, and 
bawled loudly for help. 

“ Teacher, teacher! Miss Curtis, oh teacher! ” 
shouted the excited children ; and at these sounds 
of strife from the playgrounds, the principal and 
half a dozen of her staff rushed out of the build- 
ing to quell the riot. But even then Peace did not 
release her grip on the lad’s thick topknot. 

Pulled forcibly from her victim by the long- 
suffering Miss Peyton, she collapsed in the mid- 
dle of the walk and sobbed convulsively, while the 
rest of the scholars huddled around in scared si- 
lence, eager to see what punishment was to be 
meted out to this small offender, for it was a 
great disgrace at Chestnut School to be caught 
fighting. 

The grave-faced principal looked from the piti- 
ful heap of misery at her feet to the blubbering 
bully who had retreated to a safe distance and 
stood ruefully rubbing his smarting cranium, 
minus several tufts of hair ; and though inwardly 
smiling at the spectacle, she demanded sternly, 


THE LILAC LADY 


195 


“ Peace Greenfield, aren’t you ashamed of your- 
self for fighting Thad — ” 

“ Yes,” hiccoughed Peace with amazing 
promptness and candor; ‘ 1 I’m terribly ashamed 
to think I touched him — he’s so dirty. But I ain’t 
half as ashamed of myself as I am of him.” 

Even Miss Peyton caught her breath in dismay. 
But the principal had not forgotten her own child- 
hood days, and being still a girl at heart, and se- 
cretly in sympathy with the small maid on the 
ground, she only said, “ Explain yourself, 
Peace.” 

“ It ain’t half as bad for a little girl like me 
to fight a big bully like him, as it is for a big 
bully like him to fight a little monkey — ” 

“ I wasn’t fighting the monkey,” sullenly mut- 
tered the boy, hanging his head in shame. 

“ You were stoning him, and he couldn’t hit 
back, so there! ” 

“ What monkey? ” demanded the principal, 
glancing swiftly around the yard for any evidence 
of such a creature. 

A dozen hands pointed toward the linden tree, 
and one small voice piped, “ He’s up there! ” 

“ A real monkey? ” 

“ Yes, dressed up in hand-organ pants,” Peace 
explained, scrambling to her feet and peering up 
among the thick leaves for a glimpse of the fright- 
ened animal, which had ceased its wild chatter- 
ing and sat huddled close against the tree trunk 


196 


THE LILAC LADY 


almost within reach. “See it? Poor little Jocko, 
I won’t hurt you! ” She stretched out her hands 
at the same moment that unknowingly she had 
spoken its name, and to the intense amazement 
of teachers and pupils, the tiny, trembling crea- 
ture unhesitatingly dropped upon her shoulder, 
threw its claw-like arms about her neck and hid 
its face in her curls. 

“ Whose monkey is it? ” gently asked Miss 
Curtis, breaking the silence which fell upon the 
group watching the strange sight. 

“ I never saw it before/ ’ Peace answered. 

“ But you called it by name,” chorused the 
children, crowding closer about her. 

“ That was just a guess. There’s a story in 
our reader about Jocko, and I happened to think 
of it. I didn’t know it was this monkey’s name.” 

“ How odd! ” murmured the primary teacher. 

“ She’s the queerest child I ever saw,” con- 
fided Miss Peyton ; but the principal had seen the 
janitor approaching the open door to ring the 
last bell, and being at loss to know what to do 
with the unwelcome little animal in Peace’s arms, 
she suggested that the child take it home and put 
it in a box until the owner could be found. This 
Peace was only too delighted to do, for as no one 
in the neighborhood seemed to know where it came 
from or whose it was, she had fond hopes that 
no one would inquire for it, and that she might 
keep it for a pet. 


THE LILAC LADY 


197 


So she joyfully carried it back to the parson- 
age, and burst in upon the little household with 
the jumbled explanation, “ Here’s a stone I found 
monkeying up a tree and Miss Curtis asked me 
to bring it home and box it till the owner comes 
around after it. And if he doesn’t come, I can 
keep it myself, can’t I, Saint John? He jumped 
right into my arms and won’t let go, but just 
shakes and shakes ’sif he was still getting hit 
by those rocks. I pulled Thad DePugh ’most bald 
headed, and didn’t get scolded a bit hardly. She 
made him go to the office, though, and I hope he 
gets licked the way I couldn’t do but wanted to.” 

“ Here, here,” laughed the minister, looking 
much bewildered at the twisted story. “ Just 
say that again, please, and say it straight. I 
haven’t the faintest idea yet how you got hold 
of that little reptile or what Thad’s hair had to 
do with it.” 

‘ ‘ It isn ’t a reptile ! ’ ’ Peace indignantly denied. 
“ It’s a monkey which hid in the linden tree at 
the schoolhouse to get away from the boys and 
they stoned it.” 

Little by little the story was untangled, while 
the monkey still tenaciously clung to Peace’s neck 
and wide-eyed Glen hung onto her skirts. 

“ So you think there is a chance of your keep- 
ing him for a pet? ” said the preacher, when at 
length the tale was ended. 

“ Can’t I? ” 


198 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ You are hoping too much, little girl. If this 
animal belongs to an organ-grinder, he will be 
around for him very soon, you may be sure. It 
is the monkey’s antics that bring in the pennies. 
He can’t afford to lose such a valuable. Besides, 
Peace, the poor little thing is almost dead now.” 

“ Oh, Saint John, he is only scared. S ’posing 
you were a monkey and hateful boys stoned you, 
wouldn’t you tremble and shake? ” 

“ I don’t doubt it, girlie, but it isn’t only fear 
that ails that animal. Look here at his back — 
just a solid mass of sores. Elizabeth, isn’t that 
shocking? This is surely a case for the Humane 
Society. It is a shame to let the creature live, 
suffering as it must be suffering from those cruel 
wounds. His owner ought to be jailed.” 

“ Oh, Saint John, you aren’t going to kill 
Jocko, are you? ” 

“ No, dear, he is not my property, and I have 
no legal right to put him out of his misery, but 
we must call up the Humane Society and notify 
them at once. They will be merciful. It is better 
to have him die now than live and suffer at the 
hands of a brutal owner, Peace. You must not 
cry. ’ ’ 

For great tears of pity were coursing down the 
rosy cheeks, and Glen was trying his best to wipe 
them away with his fat little fists. Elizabeth sup- 
plied the missing handkerchief, and as Peace 
raised it to her face, the monkey gave a sudden 


THE LILAC LADY 


199 


convulsive shudder, the tiny paws loosed their 
grasp about the warm neck, and Jocko lay dead 
in the child’s arms. 

For a full moment she stared at the pitiful 
form, and Elizabeth expected a storm of grief and 
protest ; but instead, the little maid drew a long, 
deep breath as of relief, and said soberly, “ Saint 
John is right. Jocko is better off dead, but I’m 
glad he died in my arms, knowing I was good to 
him, ’stead of being stoned to death by those 
cruel boys in the tree. Where is Saint John? 
Has he already gone to telephone the Human 
Society? He needn’t to now. The monkey is dead. 
I’ll run and catch him on my way back to school. 
Good-bye.” 

She was off like a flash down the hill once more, 
but the preacher had either taken a different 
route or already reached his goal, for he was 
nowhere in sight. So Peace continued her way 
to the schoolhouse, racing like mad to make up 
lost time. As she panted up the steps into the 
dimness of the cool hall, she stumbled over a 
trembling figure crouching in the darkest corner 
by the stairway, and drew back with a startled 
cry, which was echoed by her victim, a frail, 
ragged, young urchin with a thatch of jet black 
curls and great, hollow, dusky eyes. 

“ Who are you? ” demanded Peace, not recog- 
nizing him as one of the regular pupils at Chest- 
nut School. “ And what are you doing here? ” 


200 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Giuseppe Nicoli,” answered the elf, looking 
terribly frightened and shrinking further into his 
corner. “ Me losa monk’. He come here hut gona 
way. W’en Petri fin’, he keel me.” The thin 
face worked pathetically as the little fellow 
bravely tried to stifle the sobs which shook his 
feeble body; and Peace, with childish instinct, 
understood what the waif ’s queer, broken English 
failed to tell her. 

“ Is Petri your father? ” she asked. 

“ No, no, no! ” He shook his head vehemently 
to emphasize his words. 

“ Then why are you afraid of him? ” 

“ He playa de organ, me seeng, me feedle, de 
monk’ he dance and bring in mon\ Monk’ los’, 
Petri keel me.” 

“ The monkey is dead.” The words escaped 
her lips before she thought, but the frozen horror 
on the boy’s face brought her to her senses, and 
she hastily cried, 1 ‘ But he was so sick and hurt ! 
His back was just a mess of solid sores. It is 
better that he is dead! ” 

“ Oh, but Petri keel me! ” 

* 1 Sh ! The teachers will hear you if you screech 
so loud. Come upstairs with me. Miss Curtis 
will know what to do. She won’t let Petri get 
you. Don’t be afraid, Jessup. I wouldn’t hurt 
you for the world.” 

He did not understand half that she said, but 
the great brown eyes were filled with sympathy, 


THE LILAC LADY 


201 


and with the same instinct which had led the 
monkey to leap into her arms a few moments be- 
fore, the ragamuffin laid his grimy fists into hers, 
and she led him up the winding stairs to the 
principal’s office. 

When the worthy lady had heard the queer 
story, she could only stare from one child to the 
other and gasp for breath. Peace was noted for 
finding all sorts of maimed birds or sick animals 
on her way to school, hut never before had she 
appeared with a human being, and Miss Curtis 
almost doubted now that little Giuseppe was a 
real human. He looked so pitifully like a scare- 
crow. What could she do with him? It would be 
criminal to let the brutal organ-player get him 
again if the lad’s story were true, and she did 
not doubt its truth after the waif had slipped 
back his ragged sleeves and showed great, ugly, 
purple welts across his naked arms. 

“ Poor little chap,” she murmured. “ Poor 
little chap! ” As she gingerly touched the bony 
hands, she was seized with a happy inspiration, 
and bidding the children sit down till she re- 
turned, she entered a little inner office, and Peace 
heard her at the telephone. “ Give me 9275.” 

There was a pause; then the child grew rigid 
with horror. The voice from the adjoining room 
was saying, “ Is this the Humane Society? ” 

It was to the Humane Society that Saint J ohn 
had intended telephoning, in order that they 


202 


THE LILAC LADY 


might come up and kill the poor monkey. Was 
Miss Curtis a murderer? Surely Giuseppe was 
not to be killed, too. Then why had she tele- 
phoned the Humane Society? 

Tiptoeing across the floor to the Italian waif’s 
chair, she clutched him by the hand, dragged him 
to his feet, and signalling him to be quiet, she 
stole cautiously from the room with him in tow. 
Down the long stairs they hurried, and out into 
the bright sunshine, though poor, frightened Giu- 
seppe protested volubly in his own tongue and the 
little broken English which he knew, for once on 
the streets, he feared that the bold, bad Petri 
would find him and drag him away to dreadful 
punishments again. But the harder he protested, 
the faster Peace jerked him along, repeating over 
and over in her frantic efforts to make him under- 
stand, “ Petri shan’t get you, Jessup. But if we 
stay there the Human Society will, and that’s just 
as bad. They killed Deacon Skinner’s old horse 
in Parker, and Tim Shandy’s lame cow, and were 
coming to finish Jocko when he died of his own 
self. You don’t want to go the same way, do 
you? ” 

Poor Peace did not know the real mission of 
the Humane Society, or she would not have been 
so shocked at the idea of little Giuseppe’s falling 
into their hands ; but her fear had its effect upon 
the struggling urchin, and his feet fairly flew 
over the ground, as he tried to keep pace with his 


THE LILAC LADY 


203 


leader. When only half a block from the parson- 
age, Peace abruptly halted, and the boy’s dark 
eyes looked into hers inquiringly, fearfully. What 
was the matter now? This was certainly a queer 
child at his side. Perhaps it would have been 
wiser had he stayed with the gentle-faced lady 
in the schoolhouse. 

“ Run,” he urged, tugging at her hand when 
she continued to stand motionless in the middle 
of the walk. “ Petri geta me.” 

“ No, no, Petri shan’t have you, I say! ” Peace 
declared savagely. “ But if I take you home to 
Saint Elspeth, like as not the Human Society will 
be right there to nab you; and if they ain’t now, 
Miss Curtis will send ’em along as soon as she 
finds we’ve run away. Where can I take you? ” 

Anxiously she looked about her for a hiding 
place, and as if in answer to her question, her 
glance rested upon the stone house, surrounded 
by its tall hedges. 6 ‘ Sure enough ! Why didn ’t I 
think of that before? My Lilac Lady will take 
care of you, I know, until Saint John can find 
some nice place for you to live always. Come on 
this way. ’ ’ 

She whisked around the corner, threw open the 
gate, and ushered the trembling waif into the 
splendid garden, with the announcement, “ Here 
is the place I mean, and there is the Lilac Lady 
under the trees.” 

The boy surveyed the masses of brilliant flow- 


204 


THE LILAC LADY 


ers, the sparkling fountain, the shifting shadows 
of the great oaks above him where birds were 
singing. Then he turned and scanned the white, 
sweet face among the pillows, and clasping his 
thin hands in rapture, he breathed, ‘ 1 Italy! Oh, 
eet iss Paradise! ” And as if unable to restrain 
his joy any longer, he burst into a wild, plaintive 
song, with a voice silvery toned and clear as a 
bell. Peace paused in the midst of a turbulent 
explanation to listen ; Aunt Pen came to the door 
with her sewing in her hand; Hicks stole around 
the corner of the house, thinking perhaps the 
young mistress had broken her long silence ; and 
the lame girl herself lay with parted lips, charmed 
by the glorious burst of melody. 

The song won her heart, even before she heard 
the pitiful story of the wretched little musician, 
and when Peace had finished recounting the morn- 
ing^ events, the mistress of the stone house 
turned toward her aunt with blazing, wrathful 
eyes, exclaiming impetuously, “ Isn’t that shock- 
ing? Oh, how dreadful! We must help him, 
Aunt Pen. Poor little Giuseppe! See the Hu- 
mane Society about him at once — Now don’t 
look so horrified, Peace. They don’t kill little 
boys and girls. They take good care of just such 
waifs as this, and provide nice homes for them. 
Even if Giuseppe were related to Petri, the Hu- 
mane Society would take the child away from him 
on account of his brutality. He is worse than a 


THE LILAC LADY 


205 


beast to treat tbe boy so, and Giuseppe shall 
never go back to him as long as I can do anything. 
He shall go to school like other children and get 
an education. Then we’ll make a splendid musi- 
cian of him ; and who knows, Peace, but some day 
he will be a second Campanini? ” 

Peace had not the faintest idea of what a Cam- 
panini was, but she did understand that Giuseppe 
Nicoli had found a home and friends, and she was 
content. 





CHAPTER X 


\ 


THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL 

Peace was panic stricken. Almost at the last 
minute Miss Peyton had changed her mind about 
the poem which she was to speak, and had given 
her instead of “ The Children’s Hour” which 
she had so carefully learned, those other lines 
called “ Children”; and there were only five days 
in which to learn them. Memorizing poetry, par- 
ticularly when she could not quite understand 
its meaning, was not Peace’s strong forte, and 
it was small wonder that she was dismayed 
at this change of program; hut it was useless to 
protest. When Miss Peyton decided to do a cer- 
tain thing, “ all the king’s horses and all the 
king’s men” could not alter her decision. Peace 
had learned this from bitter experience and many 
hours in the dark closet behind the teacher’s 
desk. So, inwardly raging, though outwardly 
calm, she accepted her fate, and marched home to 
air her outraged sense of justice before the little 
parsonage family, sure of sympathy and help in 
that quarter. Nor was she disappointed. 

Elizabeth recognized the small maid’s failings 
as a student, and was much provoked at Miss 
207 


208 


THE LILAC LADY 


Peyton’s want of understanding, but very wisely 
kept these sentiments to herself, and set about 
to help Peace in her difficult task. At her sug- 
gestion, the young elocutionist waited until the 
following morning before beginning her study of 
the new lines, and with the teacher’s copied words 
in her hand, went out to the hammock under the 
trees to be alone with her work. There she sat 
swinging violently to and fro, gabbling the stan- 
zas line by line, while she ferociously jerked 
the short curls on her forehead and frowned so 
fiercely that Elizabeth, busy with her Saturday 
baking, could not resist smiling whenever she 
chanced to pass the door, through which she could 
see the familiar figure. 

Slower and slower the red lips moved, lower 
and lower the hammock swung, and finally with a 
gesture of utter despair, Peace cast the paper 
from her, and dropped her head dejectedly into 
her hands. 

“ Poor youngster,” murmured the flushed cook 
from the window where she sat picking over ber- 
ries. “ John, have you a minute to spare? Peace 
is in trouble — Oh, nothing but that new poem, 
but I thought perhaps you might invent some 
easy way for her to memorize it. You were al- 
ways good at such things, and I can’t stop until 
my cake is out of the oven and the pies are made. ’ ’ 

He assented promptly, and strolling out of the 
door as if for a breath of fresh air, wandered 


THE LILAC LADY 


209 


across the grass to the motionless figure in the 
hammock. “ What seems to be the matter, 
chick? ” he inquired cheerfully, rescuing the dis- 
carded paper from the dirt and handing it hack 
to its owner. 

“ Oh, Saint John, this is a perfectly dreadful 
poem! I don’t b’lieve Longfellow ever wrote it, 
and even if he did, I know I can never learn it. 
The verses haven’t any sense at all. Just listen 
to this! ” She seized the sheet with an angry 
little flirt, and read to the amazed man: 

“ 1 Ye open the eastern windows, 

That look toward the sun, 

Where shots are stinging swallows 
And the brooks in mourning run. 

* ‘ ‘ What the leaves are to the forest, 

Where light and air are stewed, 

Ere their feet and slender juices 
Have been buttoned into food, — 

* 4 1 That to the world are children ; 

Through them it feels the glow 
Of a brighter and stunnier slimate 
Than scratches the trunks below. 

“ l Ye are better than all the ballots 
That ever were snug and dead ; 

For ye are living poets, 

And all the blest ate bread.’ ” 


14 


210 


THE LILAC LADY 


With difficulty the preacher controlled his de- 
sire to shout, and mutely held out his hand for the 
paper, which he studied long and carefully, for 
even to his experienced eyes, the hastily scrib- 
bled words were hard to decipher. But when he 
had finished, all he said was, “ You have misread 
the lines, Peace. Wait and I will get you the book 
from the library. Then you will see your 
mistake.” 

Shaking with suppressed mirth he went back 
to his study, found the volume in question, and 
returned to the discouraged student with it open 
in his hands. Half-heartedly Peace reached up 
for it, but he shook his head, knowing how easy 
it was for her to misread even printed words and 
what ludicrous blunders it often led to, and 
gravely suggested, “ Suppose I read it to you 
first. Then if there is anything you do not under- 
stand, perhaps I can explain it so it will be 
easier to memorize.” 

“ Oh, if you just would! ” Peace exclaimed 
gratefully. “ I never could read Miss Peyton’s 
writing, and then she marks me down for her 
own mistakes.” 

So in sonorous tones, the preacher read the 
poet’s beautiful tribute to childhood: 

“ ‘Come to me, 0 ye children! 

For I hear you at your play, 

And the questions that perplexed me 
Have vanished quite away. 


THE LILAC LADY 


211 


“ ‘Ye open the eastern windows, 

That look towards the sun, 

Where thoughts are singing swallows 
And the brooks of morning run. 

“ ‘In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine, 
In your thoughts the brooklet’s flow, 

But in mine is the wind of Autumn 
And the first fall of the snow. 

“ ‘Ah! what would the world he to us 
If the children were no more? 

We should dread the desert behind us 
Worse than the dark before. 

“ ‘What the leaves are to the forest, 

With light and air for food, 

Ere their sweet and tender juices 
Have been hardened into wood, — 

“ ‘That to the world are children; 

Through them it feels the glow 
Of a brighter and sunnier climate 
Than reaches the trunks below. 

‘ ‘ ‘ Come to me, 0 ye children ! 

And whisper in my ear 
What the birds and the winds are singing 
In your sunny atmosphere. 

“ ‘For what are all our contrivings, 

And the wisdom of our books, 

When compared with your caresses, 

And the gladness of your looks? 


212 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ ‘Ye are better than all the ballads 
That ever were sung or said; 

For ye are living poems, . 

And all the rest are dead.’ ” 

“ Well,” breathed Peace in evident relief, as he 
lingeringly repeated the last stanza, “ that 
sounds a little more like it. Maybe with that book 
I can learn her old poem now.” 

‘ 4 Those are beautiful . verses, Peace,” he re- 
buked her. 

“ Yes, I ’xpect they are. I haven’t got any 
grudge against the verses, but it takes a beau- 
tifully long time for me to learn anything like 
that, too.” She seized the fat volume with both 
hands, tipped back among the hammock cushions, 
and with her feet swinging idly back and forth, 
began an animated study of the right version of 
the words, while the minister strolled back to 
the house to enjoy the joke with Elizabeth. 

But though Peace studied industriously and 
faithfully during the remaining days, she could 
not seem to master the lines in spite of all the 
minister’s coaching, and in spite of Miss Pey- 
ton’s struggle with her after school each day. 

1 ‘There is no sense in making such hard work 
of a simple little poem like that,” declared the 
teacher, closing her lips in a straight line and 
looking very much exasperated after an hour’s 
battle with the child Tuesday afternoon. “ You 


THE LILAC LADY 


213 


have just made up your mind that you will not 
learn it, and that is where the whole trouble 
lies.” 

“ That’s where you are mistaken,” sobbed 
Peace forlornly, though her eyes flashed with in- 
dignation as she wiped away her tears. “ It’s 
you which has got her mind made up, and you 
and me ain’t the same people. I just can’t seem 
to make those words stick, and I might as well 
give up trying right now.” 

il You will have that poem perfectly learned 
tomorrow afternoon, or I shall know the reason 
why. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ Then I ’xpect you ’ll have to know the reason 
why,” gulped the unhappy little scholar, who 
found the hill of knowledge very steep to climb. 
“ You can’t make a frog fly if you tried all your 
life. It takes me a month to learn as big a poem 
as that, and you never gave it to me until Friday 
afternoon.” 

“ Nine four-line stanzas! ” snapped the weary 
instructor, privately thinking Peace the greatest 
trial she had ever had to endure. 

“ It might as well be ninety,” sighed the child. 

4 1 If Elizabeth was my teacher, or the Lilac Lady, 
I could get it in no time, but I never could learn 
anything for some people. Just the sight of them 
knocks everything I know clean out of my head.” 

Longfellow slammed shut with a terrific bang, 
and Miss Peyton rose from her chair, choking 


214 


THE LILAC LADY 


with indignation. “ You may go now, Peace 
Greenfield, ’ ’ she said icily, “ but that poem must 
be perfect by tomorrow afternoon, remember. ,, 

So with a heavy heart Peace trudged home and 
took up her struggle once more in the hammock; 
but was at last rewarded by being able to say 
every line perfectly and without much hesitation. 
Elizabeth and her spouse both heard her repeat 
it many times that evening and again the next 
morning, and sent her on her way rejoicing to 
think the task was conquered. 

But when it came to the afternoon’s rehearsal, 
poor Peace could only stare at the ceiling, and 
open and shut her lips in agony, waiting for the 
words which would not come, while Miss Peyton 
impatiently tapped the floor with her slippered 
toe and frowned angrily at the miserable figure. 
Finally Peace blurted out, “ P’raps if you’d go 
out of the room, I could say it all right. ’ ’ 

“ You will say it all right with me in the 
room! ” retorted the woman grimly. 

“ Then s ’posing you look out of the window 
and quit staring so hard at me. All I can think 
of is that scowl, and it doesn’t help a bit.” 

The dazed teacher shifted her gaze, and Peace 
slowly began, “ ‘ Come to me, 0 ye children! ’ ” 
speaking very distinctly and with more expres- 
sion than Miss Peyton had thought possible. 

“ There! ” exclaimed the woman, much molli- 
fied, when the child had finished. “ I knew you 


THE LILAC LADY 


215 


could say it if you wanted to. Now try it again.” 

So with the teacher staring out of the window, 
and Peace gazing at the ceiling, the poem was 
recited without a flaw six times in succession, and 
she was finally excused to put in some more prac- 
tice at home. 

Elizabeth thought the day was won, but poor 
Peace took little comfort in the knowledge that 
she had acquitted herself creditably at the last 
rehearsal. “ It would be different if that was 
tomorrow afternoon,” she sighed. “ But I just 
know she’ll look at me when I get up to speak, 
and with her eyes boring holes through me, I’ll be 
sure to forget some part of it. None of my other 
teachers were like her a bit. Miss Truesdale 
and Miss Olney and Miss Allen all liked children ; 
but I don’t b’lieve Miss Peyton does. There’s 
lots of the scholars that she ain’t going to let 
pass, and the only reason they didn’t have better 
lessons is ’cause she scares it out of ’em. Oh, 
dear, school is such a funny thing! ” 

“ Would you like to have me come to visit you 
tomorrow! ” suggested Elizabeth, who dreaded 
the ordeal almost as much as did Peace. 

“ No, you needn’t mind. S ’posing I should 
make a frizzle of everything, you’d feel just ter- 
ribly, I know, and I should, too. I guess it will 
be bad enough with all the other mothers there. 
But I wish there wasn’t going to be any exer- 
cises. I’m sick of ’em already. And what do you 


216 


THE LILAC LADY 


think now? She told ns only this afternoon that 
we must all have an antidote for some of the 
Presidents to tell tomorrow for General Lesson.” 

“ A what? ” 

“ An antidote. A short story about some of 
the Presidents of the United States.” 

“ You mean anecdote, child. I didn’t suppose 
you were old enough to be studying history in 
your room.” 

“ Oh, this ain’t hist’ry! We have a calendar 
each month telling what big men or women were 
born and why. Then teacher tells us something 
about their lives. Lots of ’em are very int’- 
resting, but I can’t remember which were Presi- 
dents and which were only manner -fracturers. 
That’s my trouble.” 

“ Well, it just happens that I can help you 
out there, my girlie,” smiled Elizabeth, smooth- 
ing the damp curls back from the flushed cheeks. 
“ John has a book in his library of just such 
things as that. We’ll get it and hunt up some 
nice, new stories that aren’t hoary with age.” 

The volume was quickly found, and several 
quaint anecdotes were selected for the next day’s 
program, so if by chance other pupils had come 
prepared with some of them, there would be still 
others for Peace to choose from. And when 
school-time came the next day, she departed al- 
most happily, with the Presidential book tucked 
under one arm and the well-fingered Longfellow 


THE LILAC LADY 


217 


under the other ; for she meant to make sure that 
the words were fresh in her mind before her turn 
came to recite. 

The session began very auspiciously with some 
happy songs, and Peace’s spirits rose. Then came 
the drawing lesson. Peace was no more of an 
artist than she was an elocutionist, but she tried 
hard, and was working away industriously trying 
to paint the group of grape leaves Miss Peyton 
had arranged on her desk, when one of the little 
visitors slipped from his seat in his mother’s lap 
and wandered across the room to his sister’s desk, 
which chanced to be directly in front of Peace; 
so he could easily see what she was doing. He 
watched her in silence a moment, and then de- 
manded in a stage whisper, “ What you 
d ’awing? ” 

“ Grape leaves,” Peace stopped chewing her 
tongue long enough to answer. 

* 1 No, they ain’t neither. They’s piggies.” 

The brown head was quickly raised from her 
task, and the would-be artist studied her work 
critically. The boy was right. They did look 
somewhat like a litter of curly-tailed pigs. All 
they needed were eyes and pointed ears. Me- 
chanically Peace added these little touches, made 
the snouts a little sharper, drew in two or three 
legs to make them complete, and sat back in her 
seat to admire the result of her work. 

“ Ah,” simpered Miss Peyton, who had 


218 


THE LILAC LADY 


chanced to look up at just that minute, “ Peace 
has finished her sketch. Bring it to the desk, 
please, so we may all criticize it.” 

Peace had just dipped her brush into the hol- 
low of her cake of red paint, intending to make 
the piggies’ noses pink, but at this startling com- 
mand from the teacher, she seemed suddenly 
turned to an icicle. What could she do? She 
glanced around her in an agony of despair, saw 
no loophole of escape, and gathering up the un- 
lucky sketch, she stumbled up the aisle to the 
desk, still holding her scarlet-tipped paint brush 
in her hand. 

Usually Miss Peyton examined the drawings 
herself before calling upon the scholars to criti- 
cize; but this was the last day of school, and the 
program was long; so she smiled her prettiest, 
and said sweetly, “ Hold it up for inspection, 
Peace.” 

Miserably Peace faced the roomful of scholars 
and parents, and extended the drawing with a 
trembling hand. There was an ominous hush, 
and then the whole audience broke into a yell of 
laughter. Miss Peyton’s face flushed scarlet, and 
holding out her hand she said sharply, “ Give it 
to me.” 

Peace wheeled about and dropped the sheet of 
pigs upon the desk, but at that unfortunate mo- 
ment, the paint-brush slipped from her grasp 
and spilled a great, scarlet blot on the teacher’s 


THE LILAC LADY 


219 


fresh white waist. Dismayed, Peace could only 
stare at the ruin she had wrought, having forgot- 
ten all about her drawing in wondering what pun- 
ishment would follow this second calamity; and 
Miss Peyton had to speak twice before she came 
to her senses enough to know that she was being 
ordered to her seat. 

“ Oh,” she gasped in mingled surprise and re- 
lief, “ lemon juice and salt will take that stain 
out, if it won’t fade away with just washing.” 

Again an audible titter ran around the room, 
and the teacher, furiously red, repeated for the 
third time, “ Take your seat, Peace Greenfield! ” 

Much mortified and confused, the child sub- 
sided in her place and tried to hide her burning 
cheeks behind the covers of her volume of anec- 
dotes, but fate seemed against her, for Miss Pey- 
ton promptly ordered the paint boxes put away, 
the desks cleared, and the scholars to be prepared 
to tell the stories they had found. Now it hap- 
pened that generous-hearted Peace had lent her 
book of Presidential reminiscences to several of 
her less lucky mates that noon, and as she was 
one of the last to be called upon, she listened with 
dismay as one after another of the tales she had 
taken so much pains to learn were repeated by 
other scholars. 

In order that all might hear what was said, 
each pupil marched to the front of the room, 
told his little story and returned noiselessly to 


220 


THE LILAC LADY 


his seat; so when it came Peace’s turn, she stalked 
bravely np the aisle, faced the throng of scared, 
perspiring children and beaming mothers, made a 
profound bow, and said, “ George Washington 
was pock-marked.” 

She was well on her way to her seat again, 
when Miss Peyton’s crisp tones halted her: 
“ Peace, yon surely have something more than 
that. Have you forgotten? ” 

“ No, ma’am. I lent my stories to the rest of 
the scholars this noon and they have already 
spoke all I knew, ’xcept those that are hairy with 
age. Everyone knows that George Washington 
was bled to death by over - jealous doctors.” 

The harder Peace tried to do her best, the more 
blundering she became ; and now, feeling that the 
visitors were having great fun at her expense, 
she sank into her seat and buried her face in her 
arms, swallowing hard to keep back the tears that 
stung her eyes. 

Directly, she heard Patty Fellows reciting, 
“ The Psalm of Life,” and Sara Gray answer to 
her name with, “ The Castle-Builder.” Next, the 
children sang another song, and then — horror of 
horrors! — Miss Peyton called her name. It was 
too bad ! Any other teacher would have excused 
her, but she knew Miss Peyton never would. 
So with a final gulp, she struggled to her feet and 
advanced once more to the platform. 

Her heart beat like a trip-hammer, her breath 


THE LILAC LADY 


221 


came in gasps, and her mind seemed an utter 
blank. “ 4 Come to me/ ” prompted the teacher, 
perceiving for the first time the child’s panic and 
distress; but Peace did not understand that this 
was her cue, and with a despairing glance at 
the immovable face behind the desk, she cried 
hastily, “ Oh, not this time! I’ve thunk of it 
now. Here goes! 

“ ‘Between the dark and the daylight 

When the night is beginning to lower, 

Comes a pause in the day’s occupation, 

That is known as the Children’s Hour .’ 99 

Verse after verse she repeated glibly, racing so 
rapidly that the words fairly tumbled out of her 
mouth. Suddenly the dreadful thought came to 
her. She had begun the wrong poem ! Her voice 
faltered ; she turned pleading, glassy eyes toward 
the teacher; and Miss Peyton, misunderstanding 
the cause of her hesitation, again prompted, 
“ ‘ They climb — 9 99 

Peace was hopelessly lost. 

“ ‘They climb up onto the target,’ 99 

She recited in feverish tones: 

“ ‘O’er my arms and the back of my hair; 

If I try to e-scrape, they surround me; 

They scream to me everywhere.’ 99 

Someone tittered; the ripple of mirth broke 
into a peal of laughter ; and with a despairing sob, 


222 


THE LILAC LADY 


Peace cried, “ Oh, teacher, I’ve got the stage- 
strike! I can’t say another word! ” And out 
of the room she rushed like a wounded bird. 

Usually Elizabeth was her comforter, but this 
day some blind instinct led her to take refuge in 
the Enchanted Garden, and she sobbed out her 
sorrow and humiliation in the skirts of her be- 
loved Lilac Lady. 

Peace in tears was a new sight for the invalid, 
and she was alarmed at the wild tempest of grief. 
But the small philosopher could not be unhappy 
long, and after a few moments the tears ceased, 
the storm was spent, a flushed, swollen face 
peeped up at the anxious eyes above her, and 
with a familiar, queer little grimace, she giggled, 

‘ ‘ I made ’em all laugh, anyway, and they did look 
awful solemn and funerally lined up there against 
the wall. But I s’pose teacher won’t let me pass 
now, and I’ll have to take this term all over 
again.” 

“ Tell me about it,” said the lame girl gently, 
stroking the damp curls on the round, brown head 
in her lap. 

So Peace faithfully recounted the day’s events 
to the amusement and indignation of her lone 
audience; but when she had finished, she sighed 
dolefully. “ The worst of it is, I’ve got to go back 
to school tomorrow for my books and dismissal 
card. Oh, mercy, yes ! And Miss Peyton has got 


THE LILAC LADY 


223 


my Longfellow. I don’t b’lieve I can ever ask 
her for it, even if it is Saint John’s.” 

“ Oh, yes, yon can,” assured the Lilac Lady. 
“ By the time tomorrow comes, the teacher will 
have forgotten all about the mistakes of today.” 

“ It’s very plain that you don’t know Miss Pey- 
ton,” was the disconcerting reply. u There’s 
nothing she ever forgets. My one comfort is I 
won’t have to go to school to her next year even 
if she doesn’t let me pass now, ’cause by that 
time the girls will all be well and I can go home 
again. There’s always a grain of comfort in 
every bit of trouble, grandma says. ’ ’ 

“ Sca-atter sunshine, all along the wa-ay,” sang 
the lame girl, surprised out of her long silence in 
her anxiety to cajole her little playmate into her 
happy self again ; but Peace did not even hear the 
rich sweetness of the voice, so surprised was she 
to have her motto turned upon her in that man- 
ner, and for a few moments she sat so lost in 
thought that the lame girl feared she had offended 
her, and was about to beg her forgiveness when 
the round face lifted itself again, and Peace ex- 
claimed, “ That’s what I’ll do! Tomorrow, when 
I have to go back for my card, I’ll offer to kiss 
her good-bye, and I’ll tell her I’m sorry I’ve 
been such a bother to her all these weeks. I never 
thought about it before, but I s’pose she’s just 
been in ag-o-ny over having me upset all her plans 
like I’ve managed to do, though I never meant 


224 


THE LILAC LADY 


to. The worse I try to follow what she tells us 
to do, the bigger chase I lead her. My, what a 
time she must have had! Do you think she’d like 
to hear I’m sorry? ” 

1 1 What a darling you are ! ’ ’ thought the lame 
girl. “ I don’t wonder everyone loves you so 
much.” But aloud she merely answered heartily, 
“ I think it is a beautiful plan, dear. When she 
understands that you have tried your best to 
please her, I am sure she will be kind to my little 
curly-head.” 

So it happened that when Peace received her 
dismissal card from Miss Peyton the next morn- 
ing, she lifted her rosy mouth for a kiss, and 
murmured contritely, “ I’m very sorry you have 
caused me so much bother since I came here to 
school, but next term I won’t be here, for which 
you bet I’m thankful.” She had rehearsed that 
little speech over and over on her way to school ; 
but, as usual, when she came to say it to this 
argus-eyed teacher, she juggled her pronouns so 
thoroughly that no one could have been sure just 
what she did mean. 

However, Miss Peyton had done some hard 
thinking since the previous afternoon, and a little 
glimmer of understanding was beginning to pene- 
trate her methodical, order-loving soul, so she 
stooped and kissed the forgiving lips raised to 
hers, as she said heartily, ‘ 1 That is all right, my 


THE LILAC LADY 


225 


child. I wish I could erase all the troubles that 
have marred these days for you. I am sorry I 
did not know as much three months ago as I do 
now. * ’ 

“ I am, too, but folks are never too old to 
learn, grandpa says, ,, Peace answered happily, 
and departed with beaming countenance, for Miss 
Peyton had 4 * passed her” after all. 


if 










r 




N 


*> 




CHAPTER XI 


PEACE FINDS NEW PLAYMATES 

It had been decided that Giuseppe Nicoli was 
to live at the stone house and be educated as the 
Lilac Lady’s protege. 

The Humane Society had thoroughly investi- 
gated the case and found that the poor little waif 
was an orphan, whom greedy-eyed Petri had 
taken in charge on account of his unusual musical 
talent. There were no relatives on this side of 
the water to claim the homeless lad, and those in 
old Italy were too poor to be burdened with his 
keep; so the Society gladly listened to the lame 
girl’s plea, and gave Giuseppe into her keeping. 

It would be hard to tell which was the more 
jubilant over his good fortune, the child himself, 
or Peace, who was never tired of rehearsing the 
story of his rescue from the brutal organ- 
grinder’s clutches. So the minute she knew that 
the big house was to be his future home, she 
raced off to the corner drug store to telephone 
the good news to Allee and the rest at home, who 
were much interested in the doings at the 
little parsonage, and only regretted that the Hill 
Street Church was not yet able to afford a tele- 


228 


THE LILAC LADY 


phone of its own, for Peace could make only one 
trip daily to the drug store, and often the girls 
thought of something else they wanted to ask her 
after she had rung off. Also, the drug clerk was 
sometimes impolite enough to tell Peace that she 
was talking too long, and that does leave one so 
embarrassed. 

This day, however, he had no occasion for 
uttering a word of complaint, for after a sur- 
prised exclamation and three or four rapid ques- 
tions of the speaker at the other end of the line, 
Peace banged the receiver on its hook, and turned 
rebellious eyes on the idle clerk lolling behind the 
counter, saying, “Now, what do you think of that?” 

“ What? ” drawled the man, who was in his 
element when he could tease someone. “ Do you 
take me for a mind reader? ” 

“ I sh’d say not! ” she answered crossly. “ It 
takes folks with brains to read other folks’ 
minds.” 

“ Whew! ” he whistled, delighted with the en- 
counter. “ Your claws are out today. What 
seems to be the matter? ” 

“ Grandpa has taken grandma and the little 
girls to the Pine Woods without so much as say- 
ing a word to me about it; and Gail and Faith 
have gone to the lake with the Sherrars and never 
invited me.” 

“ If the whole family is away, who is keeping 
house? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


229 


“ Gussie and Marie, of course. Who’d you 
s’pose? Grandma told Gussie that when I called 
up she was to ’xplain matters to me so’s I’d un- 
derstand how it all happened and not feel bad 
about their going otf. Gail and Faith went first. 
I ’xpected that part of it, but none of ’em ever 
hinted a word to me about the Pine Woods. I 
s’pose they’ve lived so long without me at home 
that they’ve got used to it and so don’t care any 
more about me.” 

Two tears stole out from under the twitching 
lids and rolled down the chubby cheeks. The 
clerk moved uneasily. He did hate to see anyone 
cry, but had not the slightest idea how to avert 
the threatened deluge. As his eye roved about 
the small store for something to divert her atten- 
tion, it chanced to rest upon the candy cabinet, 
and hastily diving into the case, he brought forth 
a handful of tempting chocolates, and presented 
them with the tactful remark, “ Aw, you’re 
cross; have some candy to sweeten you up! ” 

The brown eyes winked away the tears and 
blazed scornfully up at the face above her. 
“ Keep it yourself! You need it! ” she growled 
savagely, pushing the extended hand away from 
her so fiercely that the candy was scattered all 
about the floor, and without a backward glance, 
she flounced out of the store. 

“Well, I vum! ” exclaimed the astonished 
clerk. “ Next time I’ll let her bawl.” Stooping 


230 


THE LILAC LADY 


over to collect the hapless chocolate drops before 
they should be tramped upon, he began to whistle, 
and the notes followed Peace out on the street — 
just a bar of her sunshine song, but the woe- 
begone face brightened a bit, although the girl 
said to herself, “ Oh, dear, seems ’sif that song 
chases me wherever I go. I get it sung or whis- 
tled or spoke at me a dozen times a day. And it’s 
hard work always to remember it, ’specially when 
folks go off and forget all about you when you’ve 
just been counting the days till ’twas time to go 
home and see Allee and grandpa after being away 
so long. S ’posing I should die ’fore they get 
back, I wonder how they’ll feel. Why, Peace 
Greenfield, you hateful little tike! Ain’t you 
ashamed of yourself? Yes, I am. Of course they 
didn’t run away a-purpose. Grandpa didn’t 
know he had to go until an hour ’fore the train 
went, and there wasn’t time to send for me and 
get my clo’es ready to go, too. It was awful nice 
of him to think of taking the girls and grandma 
to the Pine Woods to get real well and rested 
while he did up his business in Dolliver. They’ll 
come back lots better than they’d be if they had 
to stay here through all this hot. 

“ Think of being shut up three months in the 
house so’s they couldn’t plant gardens or go 
flower-hunting, or have picnics, or even go to 
school! I’ve been doing all those things while 
they’ve been sick. I’m truly ’shamed of myself 


THE LILAC LADY 


231 


to be so cross about their going off. Elizabeth 
and Saint John are just the dearest people to me, 
and the Lilac Lady really cried tears in her eyes 
when she thought I was going to leave here Mon- 
day. She’ll be glad to know that I am to stay 
two or three weeks longer. And it will be such 
fun to get letters from the girls in the woods all 
the while they are gone. After all, I b’lieve I’ll 
have a better time here anyway.” 

The cloud had passed over without the threat- 
ened storm, and the round face, though still a 
little sober, looked quite contented again. But 
during this silent soliloquy, the young philoso- 
pher had been wandering aimlessly through the 
streets, without any thought of the direction she 
was taking, and was suddenly roused from her 
revery by the mingled shouts and laughter of a 
throng of boys and girls playing noisily in a great 
yard fenced in by tall iron pickets. 

“ Why, school is closed for the summer! ” 
murmured Peace to herself, pressing her face 
against the iron bars in order that she might 
watch the lively games on the other side of the 
palings. “ Elizabeth says all the Martindale 
schools close at the same time. What can these 
children be doing here then? P’raps this is where 
the old lady who lived in a shoe had to move to 
when the shoe got too small for her fambly. Do 
you s’pose it is? ” 

“ Yup, I guess that’s how it happened,” an- 


2S2 


THE LILAC LADY 


swered a voice close beside her, and she jumped 
almost out of her shoes in her surprise, for un- 
consciously she had spoken her thoughts aloud, 
and a merry-faced urchin, sprawled in the shade 
of a low-limbed box-elder, had answered her. His 
peal of delight at having startled her so brought 
another lad and two girls to see the cause of his 
glee, and Peace was shocked to behold in the 
smaller of the girls her own double, only the 
stranger child was dressed in a long blue apron, 
which made her look much older than she really 
was. As the children stood staring at each other 
through the close-set pickets, the boy in the grass 
discovered the likeness of the two faces, and with 
a startled whoop sat up to ask excitedly of 
Peace, “ Did you ever have a twin? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Oh, dear, I was sure you must have! You’re 
just the yimage of Lottie. She’s a norphan, and 
the folks that brought her here didn’t even know 
what her real name was or anything about her, 
and we’ve always ’magined that some day her 
truly people would come and find her and she’d 
have a mother of her own.” 

“ Is this a — a school? ” asked Peace. She 
wanted to say orphan asylum, but was afraid it 
would be impolite, and she did not wish to offend 
any of these friendly appearing children. 

* ‘ It’s the Children’s Home.” 
u Who owns it? ” 



She found him seated by her desk, chuckling over the volume 
she had given Peace. (See page 152.) 












































































1 





THE LILAC LADY 


233 


“ Why — er — I don’t know, ’ ’ stammered the sec- 
ond youth, who seemed the oldest of the quar- 
tette inside the fence. 

“ I guess the splintered ladies do,” remarked 
the cherub in the grass. 

“ The wh-at! ” 

“ Tony’s trying to be smart now,” said the 
larger girl scornfully. “ The Lady Board is 
meeting today, and he always calls them the splin- 
tered ladies.” 

“ What is a Lady Board? ” inquired mystified 
Peace, thinking this was the queerest home she 
had ever heard tell of. 

1 1 Why, they are the ladies who say how things 
shall be done here — ” 

“ The number of times we can have butter each 
week and how much milk each of us can drink, 
and the number of potatoes the cook shall fix,” 
put in the boy called Tony. 

“ Don’t you have butter every day? ” cried 
Peace in shocked surprise. 

“ Well, I guess not! We have it Sunday noons 
and sometimes holiday nights.” 

“ And we never have sugar on our oatmeal, 
or sauce to eat with our bread,” added Lottie, 
shaking her curls dolefully. 

“What do you eat, then? ” 

“ Oh, bread and milk, and mush of some kind, 
or rice, and potatoes and vegetables and meat 
once a week and pie or pudding real seldom.” 


234 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Who takes care of you? ” asked Peace again 
after a slight pause. 

“ The matron and nurses.’ ’ 

“ What’s a matron? ” 

“ The boss of the caboose,” grinned Tony ir- 
reverently. 

“ Is she nice? ” 

“ That’s what we’re waiting to find out. She’s 
just come, you see, and we don’t know her real 
well yet. The other one was a holy fright.” 

“ But the new one looks nice,” said Lottie 
loyally. “ She smiles all the time, and Miss 
Cooper never did. She always looked froze.” 

“ She must be like Miss Peyton. She was my 
teacher at Chestnut School and I didn’t like her 
a bit till the day school ended. She did get 
thawed out then, though, and I b’lieve she’ll be 
nicer after this.” 

“ Do you live near here? ” asked Tony, think- 
ing it was their turn to ask questions of this 
debonair little stranger, who evidently belonged 
to rich people, because her brown curls were tied 
back with a huge pink ribbon, a dainty white 
pinafore covered her pretty gingham dress, and 
her feet were shod in patent leather slippers. 

“ No, grandpa’s house is three miles away, but 
I am staying at the Hill Street parsonage.” 
Briefly she explained how it had all come about, 
and the story seemed like a fairy tale to the four 
eager listeners. 


THE LILAC LADY 


235 


“ Then you are an orphan, too,” cried Tony 
triumphantly, when she had finished. “ How do 
you know Lottie ain’t your twin sister? ” 

“ ’Cause there never were any twins in our 
family, and if there had been, do you s’pose 
mother’d have let one loose like that, to get put 
in a Children’s Home? I guess not! ” 

“ Maybe she’s a cousin, then.” 

“ We haven’t got any. Papa was the only 
child Grandpa Greenfield had, and mother’s only 
brother died when he was little. ’ ’ 

“ But Lottie’s just the yimage of you,” insisted 
Tony, bent on discovering some tie of relation- 
ship between the two. 

“ I can’t help that. I guess it’s just a queerity, 
though I’d like to find out I had some sure- 
enough cousins which I didn’t know anything 
about. Besides, Lottie is lots darker than me. 
Her hair is black and so are her eyes. Least I 
guess they are what you’d call black. Mine are 
only brown.” 

“ You’re the same size. Ain’t they, Ethel? ” 
asked the older lad. 

“ Yes, that was what I was thinking. I don’t 
believe many folks would know them apart if 
they changed clothes.” 

“ Oh, let’s do it! ” cried Peace, charmed with 
the suggestion. u We’ve got a book at home 
that tells how a little beggar boy changed places 
with a prince, and they had the strangest ’xpe- 


236 


THE LILAC LADY 


rienees! It’ll be lots of fun to fool the others. 
They haven’t been paying any ’tention to our 
talking here. Where’s the gate? ” 

“ At the other side of the yard. There’s only 
one — ” 

“ But visitors aren’t allowed to come and play 
with us without a permit from the matron,” be- 
gan the larger boy, cautiously. 

“ Oh, bother, George,” Tony cried impatiently. 
“ We can’t get a permit now with all the Lady 
Boards here, and you know it.” 

“ Why not? ” asked Peace. 

“ ’Cause Miss Chase is busy with them in the 
parlors and we can’t see her till they are gone.” 

“ How long will that be? ” 

“ Oh, hours, maybe.” 

“ Then I’ll come in now and get my permit 
later.” 

Without waiting to hear what comments they 
might have to make about this plan, she flew 
around the corner Tony had indicated a moment 
before, and in through the great iron gates, stand- 
ing slightly ajar. Following the wide walks lead- 
ing from the front yard to the back, she came to 
another lower gate, where Ethel and Lottie met 
her ; and in a jiffy the white apron was exchanged 
for the long, blue pinafore of the black-eyed child. 

“ You’ll have to give her your hair-ribbon, 
too,” said Ethel, surveying the two figures crit- 
ically. “We don’t wear ribbons here on common 


THE LILAC LADY 


237 


days, and that would give away that you weren’t 
really Lottie.” 

Peace gleefully jerked off her rampant pink 
bow, and the older girl deftly tied it among the 
raven locks of the other orphan. 

Tony and George now came slowly around the 
corner of the building, to discover whether the 
visitor had really kept her promise, and were 
themselves puzzled to know which was their mate 
and which the stranger child until Peace laughed. 
“ That’s where you are different,” said George, 
critically. “ You don’t sound a bit alike. Come 
on and see who will be first to find out the 
secret.” 

So the masqueraders were led laughingly away 
to meet the other children, still boisterously play- 
ing at games under the trees. It did not take 
the fifty pair of sharp eyes as long to discover 
the difference as the five plotters had hoped, but 
they were all just as charmed with the result, and 
gave Peace a royal time. She was a natural 
leader and her lively imagination delighted her 
new playmates. But Lottie, in her borrowed 
finery, received scant attention, and being, unfor- 
tunately, rather a spoiled child, she resented the 
fact that Peace had usurped her place. So she 
retired to the fence and pouted. At first no one 
noticed her sullen looks, but finally Ethel missed 
her, and finding her standing cross and glum in 
the corner, she tried to draw her into the lively 


238 


THE LILAC LADY 


game of last couple out, which the stranger had 
organized. 

“ I won’t play at all,” declared the jealous 
girl. “ No one cares whether I’m here or not, 
and ’s long as you’d rather have her , you can 
just have her! ” 

11 But we wouldn’t rather,” fibbed the older 
girl. 4 4 She’s our comp’ny and we have to be 
nice to her.” 

4 4 ’Cause you like her better ’n you do me,” in- 
sisted the other. 

“ No such thing! Come on and see! ” 

“ I won’t, either! ” 

“ What’s the matter ? ” asked Peace, hearing 
the excited voices and stepping out of line to 
learn the cause. 

“ Oh, Lottie’s spunky,” answered Ethel care- 
lessly, turning back to join her companions. 

“ I’m not! You horrid thing, take that! ” 
Out shot one little hand and the sharp nails dug 
vicious, cruel scratches down Ethel’s cheek. 

“ You cat! ” cried Peace, horrified at the un- 
called-for act, and springing at the white-aproned 
figure, she caught her by the shoulder, and shook 
her till her teeth rattled. Lottie doubled up like 
a jack-knife and buried her sharp teeth in the 
brown hand gripping her so tightly, biting so 
viciously that the blood ran and Peace screamed 
with pain. 

Frightened at the sight of the two girls clinched 


THE LILAC LADY 


239 


in battle, the other children danced excitedly 
about the yard and shrieked wildly. Tony even 
started for the matron, but remembered the Lady 
Board meeting, and flew instead for the new cook, 
busy preparing refreshments for the distin- 
guished visitors, gasping out as he stumbled 
into the kitchen, “ Oh, come quick! There’s a 
strange girl in the yard and Lottie ’s chewing her 
into shoe-strings! ” 

Bridget was new at the business, or she would 
never have meddled in the affair. Glancing out 
of the window, she saw what looked to be a small 
riot in the corner, and knowing that the matron 
and her assistants were engaged with their vis- 
itors in the other wing of the building, she 
dropped her plate of sandwiches, and rushed to 
the rescue as fast as her avoirdupois would per- 
mit. She was familiar enough with the rules of 
the institution to know that the Home children 
did not wear white aprons and pink hair-ribbons 
except on special occasions, and also that fighting 
was severely punished. It never occurred to her 
that the matron was the proper authority to 
whom to report trouble. She made a lunge for 
the two struggling children, jerked them apart, 
shook them impartially, and blazed out in rich, 
Irish brogue, “ Ye dirty spalpeens, phwat d’ye 
mane by sich disorderly conduct? It’ll be a long 
toime afore ye’ll iver git inside this fince again 
to play, ye black-eyed miss! Make tracks now 


240 


THE LILAC LADY 


or IT1 call the pTice! You, ye little beggar, 
march straight inter the house ! The matron ’ll set- 
tle with ye good and plenty whin she gits toime!” 

Both girls tried to explain, and the frightened, 
excited Home children shouted in vain. Irish 
Bridget seized the resisting Lottie, thrust her 
forcibly out through the gate, and hustled poor 
Peace into the dark entry, in spite of her protests 
and frantic kicking. “I’m not Lottie, I’m not Lot- 
tie! ” she wailed. “ I don ’t b ’long here, I tell you ! ’ ’ 

1 ‘ I don’t care if ye’re Lottie or Lillie,” 
screamed the angry cook, pinioning the struggling 
child and carrying her bodily up a short flight 
of stairs into a wide hall. “ Ye’ve been breaking 
the rules by fightin’ and in that room ye go! 
The matron’ll settle with ye afther a bit. An’ 
ye’ll catch it good, too, if ye kape on screeching 
loike that.” 

Peace was dumped into a small, office-like 
apartment, the key turned in the lock, and she was 
left alone. Frantic with excitement and fear, 
she let out three or four piercing screams, rat- 
tled the knob, and pounded the door until her 
fists were sore, but no one came to release her, 
and after a few moments she seemed to realize 
how useless it was to expect help from that quar- 
ter. She looked around her prison hopefully, 
curiously, for some other avenue of escape. A 
window stood open across the room, but the 
screen was fastened so tightly that she could not 


THE LILAC LADY 


241 


move it even when she threw her whole weight 
upon it. Besides, it was a long way to the ground 
below. Would she dare jump if the screen were 
not in her way? 

Then her restless eyes spied the telephone on 
the desk behind her, and with a shriek of triumph 
she seized the receiver and called breathlessly 
over the wire , 6 ‘ Hello, central ! Give me the drug 
store where I telephone every day. Number? I 
don’t know the number. It’s on Hill Street and 
Twenty-ninth Avenue. What information do you 
want? Well, I’ve thunk of the drug store’s name 
now. It’s Teeter’s Pharmacy, and it’s on the 
corner — Well, I’m giving you the information 
’s fast as I can. My name is Peace Greenfield, 
and the crazy cook’s taken me for someone else 
and shut me in when I don’t b’long to this Home 
at all. I changed clothes with — well, what is the 
matter now? If you’ll give me that drug store — 
Teeter’s Pharmacy, corner of Hill Street and 
Twenty-ninth Avenue, — I’ll have them go after 
Saint John, so’s he can come and get me out of 
here. A — what? Policeman? Are you a p’lice- 
man? No, I ain’t one, and I don’t want one! Do 
you s’pose I want to be ’rested for getting bit? 
Oh, dear, I don’t know what you are trying to 
say! Ain’t you central? Then why don’t you 
give me Teeter’s Pharmacy, corner of Hill Street 
and — now she’s clicked her old machine up! Oh, 
how will I ever get out of here? ” 

16 


242 


THE LILAC LADY 


Dismayed to find that central had deserted her, 
she puckered her face to cry, but at that moment 
there were hasty steps in the hall, a key grated 
in the lock, and the door flew open, showing a 
startled, white-faced woman and frightened Tony 
in the doorway, while a whole string of curious- 
eyed ladies were gathered in the hall behind them. 

Silently Peace stared from one to another, and 
then as no one offered to speak, she asked, 
“ Where’s the cook? Have you seen her lately? ” 
“ No,” laughed the matron, very evidently re- 
lieved at her reception. “ Tony tells me that a 
mistake has been made and that you don’t belong 
to the Home.” 

“ He is right, I’m thankful to say,” returned 
Peace with such a comical, grown-up air that the 
ladies in the hall giggled and nudged each other, 
and one of them ventured to ask, u Why? ” 

“ Just think of having to live here day after 
day without any butter on your bread, or gravy 
for your potatoes, or sugar in your oatmeal, with- 
out any pies or cakes or puddings ’cept on Sun- 
days and special holidays, — with only mush, 
mush, mush all the time, and not even all the 
milk you wanted, maybe! Hm! I’m glad I live 
in a house where there ain’t any Lady Boards to 
tell us what we have to do and what we can have 
to eat. Come to think of it, I’m part of a norphan 
’sylum, really. There’s six of us at Grandpa 
Campbell’s but he doesn’t bring us up on mush. 


THE LILAC LADY 


243 


We have all the butter and sugar and gravy and 
pudding and sauce that we want — ” 

“ This isn’t an orphan asylum,” said the ma- 
tron kindly, wondering what kind of a creature 
this queer child was, but already convinced that 
Bridget had blundered, in spite of her startling 
resemblance to Lottie. 

“ It isn’t? What do you call it then? ” 

“ It is a Home for the purpose of taking care 
of children who have one or both parents living, 
but who, for some reason, cannot be taken care 
of in their own homes for a time.” 

“ Oh! Then you take the place of mother to 
them? ” 

“ I try to.” 

“ Do you like your job ? ” 

“ Very, very much! ” 

“ You do sound ’sif you did, but I sh’d think 
you’d hate to sit all those little children down to 
butterless bread and gravyless potato and sugar- 
less mush. Oh, I forgot! That ain’t your fault. 
It’s the Lady Board which says what you have to 
feed your children. Did you ever ask them — the 
ladies, I mean — to be common visitors and eat 
just what the rest of you had? I bet if you’d 
just try that, they’d soon send you something 
different! I don’t see how you stay so fat and 
rosy with — but then you’ve only just come, 
haven’t you? I s’pose there’s lots of time to get 
thin in. I wonder if that’s what is the matter 


244 


THE LILAC LADY 


with Lottie/ ’ Peace: chattered relentlessly on. 
“ She is awfully ugly today; but then I’d be, too, 
if I had to live on such grub. It’s worse than we 
had at the little brown house in Parker — ” 

“ If you will slip off that apron and come with 
me,” interrupted the matron desperately, not 
daring to look at the faces of her dismayed ‘ ‘ Lady 
Board,” “ we will find Lottie and get your own 
clothes so you can go home. The next time you 
come, be sure to get a permit first. Then this 
trouble won’t happen again.” 

“ Oh, will you let me come some more? ” 

“ Aren’t you Dr. Campbell’s granddaughter ? 
Tony said you were.” 

“ Yes, he’s my adopted grandpa now.” 
il Mrs. Campbell is interested in the Home — ” 
“ Is she a splinter? ” 

“ A what ? ” 

Tony giggled and dodged behind the matron 
to hide his tell-tale face, and Peace, remembering 
Ethel’s explanation, said hastily, “ I mean a 
piece of the Lady’s Board? ” 

“ No, she is not one of the Board of Directors, 
if that is what you mean ; but she often sends the 
children little treats — candy and nuts at Christ- 
mas time, or flowers from the greenhouse after 
the summer blossoms are gone.” 

“ Oh, I see. She told me one time that she 
would take us to visit the Children’s Home, but 
I didn’t know it was this. We’ve got scarlet 
fever at our house — ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


245 


“ Child alive! What are you doing here? ” 

“ Oh, I ain’t got it, and anyway, I haven’t been 
home since our spring vacation in March. I am 
staying with Saint John, the new preacher at Hill 
Street Church, and I ’xpect if I don’t get home 
pretty soon, he’ll think I am lost, sure. I went 
down to the drug store to telephone grandma, and 
when Gussie told me they had gone to the Pine 
Woods, I was so mad for a time that I just 
boiled over. So I walked on and on till I came 
to this place. I never have been so far before, 
and I didn’t know there was such a Home around 
here. I know they’ll let me come often. There 
aren’t many children up our way to play with 
and sometimes it gets lonesome. There’s Lottie 
now! Cook must have found out that I knew 
what I was talking about. Here’s your apron, 
Lottie; and say, I’m awful sorry I shook you. 
Will you pretend I didn’t do it, and be friends 
with me again? ” 

“ I — I bit you,” stammered the child, as much 
astonished at this greeting as were the matron 
and the ‘ 4 Lady Board,” who still lingered in the 
hall, fascinated with this frank creature, who so 
fearlessly voiced her own opinions of their work. 

“ So you did! ” exclaimed Peace, in genuine 
surprise, glancing down at the ugly, purple 
bruise on her hand, which she had completely 
forgotten. “ Well, I won’t remember that any 
more, either. Two folks which look so much alike 
ought to be friends, and I want you to like me.” 


246 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ I — do — like you,” faltered the embarrassed 
child. “ I’m sorry I was hateful. Here are your 
apron and ribbon.” 

“ Keep the ribbon,” responded Peace gener- 
ously. “ I s’pose I’ve got to take the apron back, 
’cause grandpa says I mustn’t give away my 
clothes without asking him or grandma about it, 
and I can’t now, ’cause they are both gone away. 
But a hair-ribbon ain’t clothes, and, anyway, 
that’s one Frances Sherrar gave me, so I know 
you can have it. ’ ’ She pressed the pink bow back 
into Lottie’s hand, and throwing both arms 
around her, kissed her fervently, saying, “ I am 
coming again some time soon, and I’ll bring you 
a bag of sugar and some real butter so ’s you can 
have it extra for once, even if the Lady Boards 
didn’t order it for that p ’tic Tar day. Good-bye, 
Mrs. Matron, and Tony, and — all the rest. I’ve 
had a good time here — till I run up against the 
cook, I mean. Mercy! She’s strong! But I’m 
glad grandpa adopted us so’s I didn’t have to 
come here to live.” She waved her hand gaily 
at them, and danced away down the walk, whis- 
tling cheerily. 

u She’s a quaint child! ” murmured the lady 
who had questioned her. 

“ She’s a trump! ” declared Tony to Lottie, 
as they departed together for the playgrounds. 

And in her heart the matron whispered, “ She’s 
a darling! ” 


CHAPTER XII 


A LITTLE CniLD SHALL LEAD THEM 

“ Oh, Elspeth, you can’t guess where I’ve 
been! ” shrieked Peace, puffing with excitement 
as she stumbled up the steps after her long run 
home. 

44 Why, I thought you were playing with Giu- 
seppe and the Lilac Lady,” replied the young 
mother, looking up in surprise from the little 
white dress she was hemstitching. 

44 But I went down to the drug store to tele- 
phone grandma! 99 

4 4 I know you did, but I thought you stopped to 
tell the news at the stone house on your way 
home.” 

44 What news? ” 

44 That the invalids have run away and left 
you.” 

44 How did you know that! ” 

44 The postman came just after you left, and 
he brought a letter from Dr. Campbell, explain- 
ing all about it.” 

44 Then he did take time to write, did he! I 
was pretty hot about it at first,” Peace admitted 
candidly. “ But I don’t care at all now. I’ve 

247 


248 


THE LILAC LADY 


had such a splendid time here with you all the 
while they’ve been shut up sick, that no matter 
how long they stay in the Pine Woods, it couldn’t 
make up for all they’ve missed by not being me.” 

“ Do you really feel that way about it, dear? ” 
cried Elizabeth, much pleased and touched at the 
child’s unlooked-for declaration. 

“ You just better b’lieve I do! Why, I’ve had 
just the nicest time! I ’xpected I’d miss seeing 
the girls just dreadfully, but Gail and Faith have 
come up every single week, and I’ve telephoned 
home ’most every day, and the rest of the time 
has been filled so full that I haven’t minded how 
long I’ve been away at all. This must be my 
other home, I guess.” 

“You little sweetheart! I wonder if you have 
any idea how much we are going to miss you 
when grandpa takes you away again.” 

“ Oh, yes, I ’magine I do. I make such a racket 
wherever I go that when I leave, the stillness 
seems like a hole. But don’t you fret! I’m com- 
ing up here real often — just as often as grandma 
will let me. ’Cause I’ve got not only you to visit 
now, but the Lilac Lady and Juiceharpie and the 
Home children — Oh, that’s what I started to tell 
you about when I first came up. 

“ I’ve just been there. I never knew there was 
a Home so near here, or I’d have been there be- 
fore this. And what do you think? There’s a 
girl living in it named Lottie, which looks so 


THE LILAC LADY 


249 


much like me that when we changed aprons the 
other children didn’t know the difference at first. 
They think she must be my twin sister or some 
cousin I don’t know anything about, though I kept 
telling them there weren’t any cousins in our 
family, and if mother’d ever had twins, she’d 
have kept ’em both and not throwed one away to 
grow up without knowing who her people were. 
Don’t you think so? ” 

“ I most assuredly do,” Elizabeth answered 
promptly. “ Gail has often told me that your 
papa was an only child, and the one brother your 
mamma had died when he was a little fellow. 
So there can’t be any near cousins, and you are 
not a twin, so Lottie isn’t your sister. How did 
it all come about? ” 

The story was quickly told, to Elizabeth’s 
mingled amusement and horror ; and Peace ended 
by sagely remarking, “ So I’m going to ask Allee 
if she’s willing that we should use some of our 
Fourth of July money to buy them a treat of 
sugar and butter for a whole day — or a week, if 
it doesn’t take too much, and grandpa don’t sit 
down on the plan. I don’t think he will, ’cause 
these children aren’t fakes. They really d ’serve 
having some good times ’casionally, and it did 
make them so happy to have someone extra to 
play with. I s’pose they get awfully tired of 
fighting the same children all the time. Besides, 
we’ve got lots of money in our bank, ’cause we 


250 


THE LILAC LADY 


used only about ten dollars of our furnishing 
money to decorate our room with, and the rest 
we saved for patriotism. I am awful glad there 
are such places for poor children to go to when 
their own people can’t take care of ’em, but I 
do wish the Lady Boards weren’t so stingy.” 

Elizabeth knew it would do no good to argue 
the matter, and besides, she was not well posted 
concerning this particular Home, so she merely 
agreed that Peace’s plan would no doubt make 
the little folks happy, but wisely suggested that 
she say no more about it until she had consulted 
with the family at home and received their con- 
sent. * ‘ Because, you see, dear, if you make some 
rash promises which you can’t fulfill, it will only 
make the children unhappy, instead of bringing 
sunshine into their lives.” 

“ But isn’t it a good way to spend money? 
They ain’t beggars with bank accounts some- 
where, like the old woman which got Gail’s dollar 
last spring.” 

‘ i I think it is a very nice way, dearie, and I am 
sure grandpa will not object a mite; but the best 
way is not to make any promises that we don’t 
intend to carry out, or that we are not sure we 
can fulfill. Then no one will be disappointed if 
our plans don’t come through the way we hoped 
they would. Do you see what I mean? ” 

“Yes; never promise to do anything until 
you’re sure you can. But that would keep me 


THE LILAC LADY 


251 


from doing lots of things, Elspeth. I could not 
ever promise to be good, or — ” 

u Oh, Peace, I didn’t mean that! 99 Elizabeth 
never could get accustomed to this literal streak 
in the small maiden’s character; and, in conse- 
quence, her little preachments often received an 
unexpected shower-bath. “ I meant not to prom- 
ise to do favors for other folks unless we can and 
will see that they are done.” 

“ Ain’t it a favor to be good when it’s easier 
and naturaler to be had — not really had, either, 
but just yourself? ” 

“ No, dear. We ought to try to be good with- 
out anyone’s asking us to, and just because it is 
easier to do wrong than right is no excuse for 
us at all.” 

Unconsciously she said this very severely, for 
she thought she heard Saint John chuckling be- 
hind the curtains of the study window ; but Peace 
interpreted the lecture literally, and hastily jump- 
ing up from the step, said, “ I think I’ll go and 
tell the Lilac Lady about the children, and see if 
she hasn’t got more roses than she knows what to 
do with, ’cause I know they’d like ’em at the 
Home. Do you care?” 

u No, Peace. Glen is asleep. But don’t stay 
long, for it is nearly five o’clock now, and tea 
will soon be ready.” 

“ All right. I’ll bring you some roses for the 
table if she has any to spare today, and she ought 


252 


THE LILAC LADY 


to, ’cause the pink and white bushes have just 
begun to open.” 

She whisked out of sight around the corner in 
a twinkling, and was soon perched on the stool 
beside the lame girl’s chair, regaling her with an 
account of the afternoon’s adventures. 

The white signal fluttering from the lilac bushes 
had been discarded long ago, and Peace was wel- 
come whenever she came now, for with her pecu- 
liar childish instinct, she seemed to know when 
the invalid found her chatter wearisome. At 
such times she would sit in the grass beside the 
chair, silently weaving clover chains, or wander 
quietly about the premises, revelling in the beauty 
and perfume of the garden flowers, or better still, 
whistling softly the sweet tunes which the pain- 
racked body always found so soothing. 

But this afternoon the young mistress of the 
stone house was lonely, for Aunt Pen and Giu- 
seppe were in town shopping, and she wished to 
be amused; so Peace was doubly welcome, and 
felt very much flattered at the attention her 
lengthy story received. To tell the truth of the 
matter, the lame girl had just discovered how 
cunningly the small, round face was dimpled, 
and in watching these little Cupid’s love kisses 
come and go with the child’s different expres- 
sions and moods, she did not hear a word that 
was said until Peace heaved a great, sympathetic 
sigh, and closed her tale with the remark, “ And 


THE LILAC LADY 


253 


so I’m going to see if I can’t take them some — 
enough to last a week maybe — for it must be 
dreadful to eat bread and potatoes every day 
without any butter or gravy.” 

The older girl roused herself with a start, and 
promptly began asking questions in such an 
adroit fashion that in a moment or two she had 
the gist of the whole story, and was much inter- 
ested in the picture Peace drew of the Home 
children’s life. “ Why, do you know, I used to 
go there with Aunt Pen — years ago — to carry 
flowers and trinkets, and sometimes to sing. My ! 
How glad they used to be ! They would sit and 
listen with eyes and mouths wide open as if they 
simply couldn’t get enough. Aunt Pen used to 
be quite interested in the Home. Poor Aunt Pen ! 
She gave up all her pet hobbies when I was 
hurt.” 

“ Didn’t you like to go? ” 

“ Oh, it was flattering to have such an appre- 
ciative audience, of course; but — my ambitions 
soared higher than that. They were as well sat- 
isfied with a hand-organ.” 

“ Oh, Tony ain’t! And neither is Ethel! They 
both just love music, and they kept me whistling 
until I was tired. And how they do love stories ! I 
’magined for them till my thinker ran empty. I 
couldn’t help wishing I was you, so’s I could tell 
them all the beau-ti-ful fancies you make up as 
you lie here under the trees day in and day out. 


254 


THE LILAC LADY 


I told ’em about you and pictured this garden 
for ’em, and the flowers which Hicks cuts by the 
bushel-basket, and Juiceharpie which plays the 
fiddle and dances and sings like a cheer-up — ” 

“ A cherub, do you mean? Giuseppe is incon- 
solable to think he can’t teach you to say his 
name correctly.” 

“ Yes, and I’m the same thing to think he’s 
got such a name that won’t be said right. He 
doesn’t like Jessup any better. But never mind, 
I know he’d like Tony and the other Home boys; 
and I thought maybe you would let him go some 
day and play for the children there. Miss Chase 
is awfully sweet and nice, even if she is fat, and 
she’d be tickled to pieces to give him a permit 
any time he could come.” 

The lame girl laid a thin, waxen hand on the 
curly head bobbing so enthusiastically at her side, 
and murmured gently, ‘ ‘ How do you think up so 
many beautiful things to do for other people? ” 
“ I don’t,” Peace frankly replied. u I guess 
they just think themselves. You see, I know what 
it is to be poor and not have nice things like other 
folks, and now that grandpa’s taken us home to 
live with him in a great, big house where there’s 
always plenty and enough to spare, seems like it 
was just the proper thing to give some of it away 
to make the less forchinit a little happier. It 
takes such a little to make folks smile!” 

“ Indeed it does, little philosopher. Your 


THE LILAC LADY 


255 


name should have been Lady Bountiful. Giuseppe 
may go with you to the Home as often as he 
wishes with his violin, and help you make them 
happy. ’ ’ 

“ Oh, you’re such a darling! ” cried Peace in 
ecstasy, hugging the hand between her own pink 
palms. “ I wish you could go, too. Tony says 
they have song services every Sunday afternoon, 
and they are great ! I ’m to go next Sunday and 
hear them, but I wish you could, too.” 

“ You are very generous,” murmured the lame 
girl a trifle huskily. Then — perhaps it was be- 
cause Peaces enthusiasm was contagious, per- 
haps it was due to a growing desire in her own 
heart for the world from which she had shut her- 
self so long ago — the older girl suddenly electri- 
fied her companion by adding, “ I should like to 
hear them myself. Do you think the matron would 
allow them to visit me in my garden, seeing that 
I can’t go to the Home as other folks do? ” 

“ Oh, do you mean that? ” 

“ Every word! ” 

“ Miss Chase couldn’t say no to anything so 
beautiful, and I don’t think the Lady Boards 
would object, either ; but I’ll find out. Saint John 
can tell me, I’m sure. Oh, I never dreamed of 
anything so lovely! I wouldn’t have dared dream 
it ! ” She hugged herself in rapture, and her eyes 
beamed like stars. How grand it was to have 
friends like the Lilac Lady! 


256 


THE LILAC LADY 


So it came about that a few days later fifty 
shining-faced, bright-eyed boys and girls from 
the Home marched proudly up Hill Street and in 
through the great iron gates to the Enchanted 
Garden, where the lame girl, with Aunt Pen and 
the parsonage household to assist her, waited to 
greet them. 

That was a gala day, talked about for weeks 
afterward, dreamed of in the silent watches of 
the night, and recorded in memory’s treasure 
book to be lived over again and again in later 
years, — one of those heart’s delights, the fra- 
grance of which never dies. 

The Home children were charmed with the 
beautiful garden and its cool fountain, just as 
Peace had known they would be, and the frail 
young hostess was as charmed with her guests. 
They had games on the wide lawn, they sang their 
sweet, happy choruses, Giuseppe played and 
danced, Peace and the preacher whistled, Eliza- 
beth told them stories, and Aunt Pen surprised 
them all by serving sparkling frappe with huge 
slices of fig cake, such as only Minnie, the cook, 
could make. Then, as the afternoon drew to a 
close, and the matron began lining up her charges 
for the homeward walk, Tony and Lottie stepped 
out of the ranks and sang a pretty little verse 
of thanks for the good time all had enjoyed. 

So surprised was the Lilac Lady at this unex- 
pected little turn, that for an instant her eyes 


THE LILAC LADY 


257 


grew misty with unshed tears; then she smiled 
happily, and obeying a sudden impulse, she lifted 
her voice and carolled, 

‘ ‘ Come again, my little friends, 

You have brought me joy today; 

In my heart you’ve left a hymn 
That shall linger, live alway. ’ ’ 

il Oh, my! ” cried Peace, squeezing Elizabeth’s 
hand in her astonishment and pleasure, “ is it 
an angel singing? ” 

“ Your Lilac Lady, dear. Didn’t you know she 
could sing? ” 

“ She told me she used to once, but I never 
heard her before.” 

“ At college she was our lark. How we loved 
that voice! I think, little girl, you have saved 
a soul.” 

But Peace did not hear the words. She was 
joining in the wild applause that greeted this 
burst of melody from the long silent throat. 
Everyone had been taken by surprise, the chil- 
dren were dancing with delight, the matron’s 
homely face was beaming, Aunt Pen’s lips 
worked pathetically, and Hicks, still busy filling 
small arms with the choicest flowers from the gar- 
den, could only whisper over and over again, 
“ Praise be, praise be, she has found her voice! ” 

The Lilac Lady herself seemed almost uncon- 


17 


258 


THE LILAC LADY 


scions of the fact that she had torn down this last 
and strongest barrier between self and the world, 
and if she noticed the pathetic surprise on the 
loving faces hovering about her, she did not show 
it, but smiled serenely and naturally when the ap- 
plause had died away. She would sing no more 
that afternoon, however, and the little visitors 
had to be contented with a promise of another 
song the next time they came. So they said good- 
bye to their charming hostess and filed happily 
down the walk to the street. 

As the iron gates closed behind the little com- 
pany homeward bound, Peace turned to blow a 
good-night kiss between the high palings to the 
young mistress, lying in her chair where they 
had left her, but paused enraptured by the picture 
her eyes beheld. A rosy ray of the setting sun 
filtered through the oak boughs overhanging her 
couch and fell full upon the white face among the 
cushions, bringing out the rich auburn tints of the 
heavy hair till it almost seemed as if a crown of 
gleaming gold rested upon her head, and the won- 
derful blue eyes reflected the light like sea-water, 
clear and deep and — unfathomable. 

“ Oh,” whispered Peace, thrilling with delight, 
“ I ought to have called her my Angel Lady! ” 


CHAPTER XIII 

children's day at hill street church 

“ What do yon think's happened now! " asked 
Peace, seating herself gloomily upon the footstool 
beside the invalid, and thrusting a long grass- 
blade between her teeth. 

“I am sure I don't know," smiled the older 
girl. “ You look as if it were quite a calamity." 

“ It's worse 'n a c’lamity. It's a capo strophe, 
Glen's gone and got the croup — " 

“ Yes, so his papa told Aunt Pen this morn- 
ing. How is the poor little fellow now! " 

“ He's better, doctor says; but his .cold is 
dreadfully bad and may last for days, so Elspeth 
can't hear the children practise for next Sun- 
day — I mean a week from tomorrow. That is 
Children's Day, you know. And Miss Kinney 
has ab-so-lute-ly refused to sing for us, 'cause 
Elspeth asked Mildred George to take a solo part, 
too, and Miss Kinney doesn't like Mildred. Why 
are huming beings so mean and horrid to each 
other! Now, I wouldn't care if I found someone 
which could sing better 'n I, — s 'posing I could 
sing at all. I'd just help her make all the music 
she could and be glad there was somebody who 
could beat me." 


25 ® 


260 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Would you really? ” asked the lame girl 
with a queer little note of doubt in her voice. 

“ Why, of course! I sh’d hate to think I was 
the best singer God knew how to make.” 

This was an idea which the invalid had never 
heard expressed before ; but still somewhat skep- 
tical, she asked, “ Do you feel that way about 
whistling, too? ” 

“ I sure do! I like to whistle, and it’s nice to 
know I can beat all the boys that go to our school, 
and even Saint John. But you should hear Mike 
0 ’Hara ! Oh, but he can whistle ! It sounds like 
the woods full of birds. It’s — it’s — it’s — ” 
words failed her — ■“ it’s heaven to listen to him. 
I’m glad I know someone who whistles better 
than I can, ’cause there’s that to work for, to aim 
at. But if I ever get so I can whistle as well 
as he does, I s’pose there will be lots better ones 
still. Miss Kinney wants to be the very best 
singer at Hill Street Church, though, and she’s 
afraid if Mildred gets to taking solo parts in the 
exercises folks will want her all the time; so 
she’s just trying to spoil the whole program that 
Saint Elspeth has worked so hard over.” 

Peace’s observations were sometimes positive- 
ly uncanny, and as she voiced this sentiment, the 
Lilac Lady asked curiously, “ How do you know 
that is her reason? Did she tell you, or did 
Mildred? ” 

“ Neither one. I heard Mrs. Porter tell Els- 


THE LILAC LADY 


261 


peth yesterday that Miss Kinney had cold feet ; so 
after she was gone, I asked about it. Saint John 
was there, and Elspeth just laughed and said it 
was a remark I must forget, ’cause it wasn’t real 
kind to speak so about anybody. But when I was 
in bed and they thought I’d gone to sleep, I 
heard Saint John ask Elizabeth about it, and she 
told him how Miss Kinney was acting, and how 
the program would all be spoiled, ’cause there 
isn’t anyone to take her place in the solo parts, 
and it is too late now to drill the children for 
anything else. It’s even worse now, with Glen 
down sick so’s Elspeth can’t help get up some 
other program.” 

“ What kind of exercises were you going to 
have, may I ask? You have had such hard work 
to keep from telling me at different times that I 
thought perhaps it was a secret.” 

“ Elspeth wanted it as a surprise, you know, 
so I thought it would be better not to talk about 
it even with you. Do you care? ” 

“ Not a bit, dearie, only I had an idea that 
possibly I might take Elizabeth’s place for a few 
days, with Aunt Pen’s help. She used to be a 
famous driller for children’s entertainments, and 
I know she would be more than pleased to have 
her finger in this pie, for she admires your young 
preacher very much, while Beth is an old friend 
of hers. The children could come here to re- 
hearse — ” 


262 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Oh, but wouldn’t that be fine! You do have 
the splendidest thinks! Who’d take Miss Kin- 
ney’s part? That’s the most important of all. 
Would you? ” 

“ I? Oh, Peace, how could I take part — a 
cripple? I haven’t been outside these gardens 
for years.” 

“ It’s time you had a change, then. It wouldn’t 
hurt you to be rolled down the street in your 
chair, would it? ” 

“ So everyone could see and pity me? ” The 
voice was full of scathing bitterness. 

“ So everyone could know and love you, my 
Lilac Lady! They couldn’t help loving you. I 
wanted to hug you the first time I ever laid eyes 
on you, and I don’t feel any different yet.” 

“ All the world is not like you.” 

“ No, I reckon it ain’t, ’cause there’s millions 
and millions of pig-tailed Chinamen and little 
brown Japs, and Esquimeaux who take baths in 
whale oil ’stead of water, which ain’t a bit like 
me. But I’m speaking of ’Merican children. 
They’d love you for the way you sing and tell 
stories first, most likely; but when they came to 
know you yourself, they’d like just the bare you. 
Tony and Ethel and Lottie and George and all 
the rest of the Home children can’t talk enough 
about you, and Miss Chase says they’re ’most 
wild to think you want ’em to come every week 
steady this summer. She says a person like you 


THE LILAC LADY 


263 


can do ’em more good now than years of sermons 
after they are older. She calls you the children’s 
‘ good angel. ’ I meant to tell you before, ’cause 
I thought you’d like to know, but somehow this 
fuss of Elspeth’s made me forget everything else. 
Say! Why couldn’t we get the Home children 
to help us in our choruses? They usu’ly go to 
the church just across the street from there on 
account of it being nearer, but I’m sure the ma- 
tron would let ’em help us this one time, ’spe- 
cially as tomorrow is their Children’s Sunday. 
Tony told me.” 

“ That is a splendid plan, Peace. If you think 
Aunt Pen and I can take Elizabeth’s place until 
Glen is better, I’ll send Hicks over to the Home 
with a note for Miss Chase, and we will have a 
rehearsal this very afternoon. Can you get me 
the music? ” 

“ Yes, Elspeth’s got the song-books at the par- 
sonage now. There was to be a practise this after- 
noon for the corn-tatter, but she thought she’d 
just have to send ’em home as fast as they came. 
I’ll run right over and tell her your plans so’s 
she’ll have the children come over here instead. 
It will be ever so nice to have the boys and girls 
from the Home take part, ’cause there didn’t 
begin to be enough lilies or poppies or vi’lets, and 
so many had dropped out of the rose chorus that 
only Mittie Cole is left. She’s a good singer, 
though, if she doesn’t get too scared.” 


264 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ Well, yon run along and get me as many 
copies of the cantata as you can. Tell Elizabeth 
I will be very careful of them. ,, 

“ Shall I tell her you’ll take Miss Kinney’s 
part? ” 

‘‘No, indeed,” was the hasty answer. “ If 
she asks about it, you might say that it will be 
taken care of, so she need not fret the least little 
bit. ’ ’ 

“ Oh, and say, what about the flowers for the 
Home children? I guess likely we can’t have 
them after all, ’cause we’re to be dressed up in 
flowers to represent our parts.” 

“ Flowers? Oh, I will attend to that. Our 
French maid is perfection when it comes to get- 
ting up costumes of any kind.” 

“ It ain’t costumes. It’s just our flowers, but 
there are daisies and poppies and vi’lets and 
maybe others that ain’t in blossom yet or else 
are all done for; so’s we would either have to 
buy them at the greenhouses or get artificial 
ones.” 

“ That is easily done, dear. Elise can do 
wonders with crepe paper and the glue-pot. Don’t 
you worry about the Home children if Miss Chase 
will let us borrow them.” 

So Peace skipped joyously home to pour out 
the good news to the preacher’s troubled little 
wife, who was worrying alternately over the 
hoarse, sick little man lying in her arms and the 


THE LILAC LADY 


265 


program for Children’s Sunday, which now 
looked as if it must prove a failure in spite of 
all the time and hard work she had given it. 
So when the child explained the Lilac Lady’s 
plans, Elizabeth gladly resigned the cantata 
music, expressed her sincere thanks by kissing 
Peace warmly — for she knew, of course, that 
whatever beautiful plans the young crippled 
neighbor might have, they were prompted by the 
active brain under the bobbing brown curls — and 
returned with a lighter heart to her vigil over 
Glen. 

Miss Chase was glad to lend the children to 
Hill Street Church, and they were overjoyed at 
the idea of being loaned. As they proved to be 
apt pupils, they were already quite familiar with 
the beautiful songs by the time the original 
chorus members put in appearance at the par- 
sonage for the afternoon’s rehearsal. At first 
the regular scholars were inclined to criticize the 
new plans which dragged in the little Home 
waifs; but Aunt Pen, who had readily agreed to 
help, was very tactful, the lame girl very lovable, 
and in a few minutes all the objections had been 
swept aside and harmony reigned supreme. Then 
they settled down to hard work, and how they 
did practise! Aunt Pen played the piano, Giu- 
seppe took up the refrain on his violin, and the 
great stone house fairly rang with the chorus 
of the hundred or more voices. Indifference 


266 


THE LILAC LADY 


melted into interest, and interest into enthusiasm. 
Before the afternoon had drawn to a close, every 
heart present was fairly aching for the coming 
of Children’s Sunday with its beautiful service 
of song, and the Lilac Lady was triumphant. 

4 4 But who will take Miss Kinney’s part? ” 
frowned Marjorie Hopper, the deacon’s grand- 
daughter. “ She told papa last night that she 
simply washed her hands of the whole affair. ’ ’ 

4 4 Never you fret,” said Peace, nodding her 
head sagely. “ Let her wash! We’ve got some- 
one to take it who can sing lots prettier than 
she ever thought of doing.” 

“Not Mildred — ” 

“ No, Mildred’s got her own part, but — ” 

There was a sudden movement in the invalid’s 
chair, and the lame girl sat up with a most be- 
coming blush tinting the waxen cheeks. “ Can 
you keep a secret, children? ” she asked. 

“ Of course! ” they shouted, gathering around 
her to hear what the secret might he. 

“ Well, I am going to — ” 

“ Take Miss Kinney’s place,” finished Tony, 
with a deep sigh of anticipated pleasure. 

* 1 I knew she ’d do it ! ” crowed Peace, dancing 
a jig for pure joy. 

“ Will you? ” asked Marjorie. 

“ Would you like it? ” 

“ Like it! Well, I guess yes! ” they shouted 
again. 


THE LILAC LADY 


267 


“ Yon can beat Miss Kinney all hollow,’ ’ added 
George with blunt, boyish admiration. 

“I am not figuring on that,” smiled the in- 
valid, amused at the thought. “ I don’t care any 
more about being ‘ it,’ as you children say. I 
just want to help Hill Street Church, for it has 
brought me the sun again when I thought I had 
lost it forever.” 

They looked at her mystified, uncomprehend- 
ing, but no one asked her to explain; they were 
content to know that she was to take the impor- 
tant solo part which Miss Kinney had thrown 
down. 

Thus the days flew by, and Children’s Sunday 
dawned bright and cool. Glen was almost well, 
but Elizabeth did not feel that she could leave 
him in any other hands, and he was still too 
fretful to attend the service. In her quandary 
she flew to Aunt Pen, and that worthy lady 
smiled happily as she answered, “ Of course, I 
can take charge if you wish, and I shall count it 
a privilege. You have done so much for Myra — ” 

“ Thank Peace for that. She is the one who 
found out her hiding-place.” 

“ I do thank Peace with all my heart, and it 
has been a pleasure to help her with her beauti- 
ful, generous, impulsive plans. She suggested — 
well, you must come this morning and hear the 
children. We simply can’t let you oif. Sit near 
the door if you like, so you can take the baby 


268 


THE LILAC LADY 


out if he frets, — but I don’t think he will. He 
loves music, and we’ve quite a surprise in store 
for the congregation. ” 

And indeed, it proved a great surprise, for 
no one saw the wheel-chair which Hicks rolled 
stealthily into the tiny church early that morning 
and hid so skilfully behind tall banks of fern 
and great clusters of roses that only the lovely 
face of the lame girl could be seen by the congre- 
gation — she was still very sensitive concerning 
her sad affliction. And when the happy-hearted 
children, almost covered with the garlands of 
flowers they carried, took their places around 
their queen, the platform looked like some great, 
wonderful garden, where children’s faces were 
the blossoms. 

And the music! How can words describe the 
joyous anthems which filled the sanctuary with 
praise and thanksgiving, or the gloriously sweet, 
silvery tones of the garden queen when she lifted 
her voice and poured out her soul in song that 
bright June morning. All the bitterness of the 
long months of anguish, despair and rebellion had 
been swept forever out of her heart, and in its 
place reigned the gladness, the rapture, the su- 
preme joy which triumphs even over death. It 
seemed almost as if some angel choir had opened 
the gates of heaven and let the strains of celes- 
tial music flood the earth. It was inspiring, up- 
lifting, sublime! 


THE LILAC LADY 


269 


But that was not all. When the beautiful ser- 
vice had ended, and the congregation was slowly 
filing out into the sunshine again, there stood 
the wheel-chair by the door, and the lame girl, 
her blue eyes alight with happiness, her face 
wreathed in smiles, greeted one by one the friends 
of the old days from whom she had so long hidden 
herself away. 



CHAPTER XIV 


HOW THE FOURTH OF JULY MONEY WAS SPENT 

“ Just one week more and Fourth of July will 
be here,” announced Peace from her seat on the 
grass, as she counted off: the days on her fingers. 
They were all gathered under the trees that warm 
afternoon, Aunt Pen and Elizabeth with their 
sewing, the minister with a magazine from which 
he had been reading aloud, Giuseppe with his be- 
loved violin, from which he was seldom separated, 
the lame girl lying in her accustomed place, and 
Peace and Glen gambolling in the grass at their 
feet. 

“ Why, so it will,” said the invalid in surprise. 

“ Do you s’pose grandpa will get back by that 
time? ” 

“ Should you care if he did not? ” asked the 
preacher teasingly. 

1 ‘ John!” reproved Elizabeth, tapping him 
gently on the head with her thimble. “ Aren’t 
you ashamed of yourself to ask such a ques- 
tion? ” 

“ No offense, ladies, no offense intended, I as- 
sure you! I merely wondered if Peace could be 
getting homesick. * 7 


271 


272 


THE LILAC LADY 


“Me homesick! Oh, no, I’m not homesick , but 
I’ll bet the other folks are by this time. I’ve 
been gone so long. One week of March, all of 
April and May, and nearly all of June — that’s 
three months already; and I’ve never been away 
from the girls more’n a night or two at a time 
before.” 

There was a wistful look in the brown eyes in 
spite of her emphatic denial that she was home- 
sick, and Elizabeth sought to turn the conversa- 
tion by saying meditatively, “ I wonder what 
Glen will think of the Fourth of July celebra- 
tion? He was almost too young last year to 
notice anything of that sort, and besides, we 
had a very quiet day at Parker. Everyone had 
gone to the city for their fun.” 

“ Yes, it was quiet in Parker last year. Hec 
Abbott was away all day, and I didn’t have any 
firecrackers,” Peace observed; then, noting the 
broad smile that bathed all the faces, she added 
hastily, “ I s’pose it was just as well, ’cause it 
was an awful dry summer, and like enough we 
would have set the place on fire. That’s why 
Gail wouldn’t let us have any, but this year we’re 
going to make up for all we’ve missed — if grand- 
pa gets home in time. We’ve got dollars and dol- 
lars in our bank — Allee and me — left over from 
dec ’rating our room, and we’re going to blow it 
all up celebrating the Fourth, so’s to be patri- 
otic. Grandpa says love of country is something 


THE LILAC LADY 


273 


every ’Merican needs, so we’re beginning young 
at our bouse. Grandpa says — ” 

“ What does grandpa say? ” boomed a dear, 
familiar voice behind her, and she bounced to her 
feet with a wild shriek of joy, for leaning against 
the iron gates at the end of the walk stood the 
genial President, while in the carriage just be- 
yond sat Grandma Campbell and the three 
younger sisters, all fidgeting with eagerness to 
meet the small maid whose face they had not seen 
for so long a time. 

“ Oh, grandpa, grandma, girls, when did you 
get here? I never so much as heard you drive 
up! ” 

Scarcely touching the gravel with her toes, she 
fairly flew through the gate into the five pair of 
arms reaching out to embrace her, hugging and 
kissing them impartially in her delight to be with 
them again, and asking questions as fast as her 
tongue could fly. “ How did you like the Woods? 
Where are Gail and Faith? Haven’t they come 
in from the Lake yet? I haven’t seen them for 
three weeks now. Are you perfectly well, Allee? 
What’s the matter with Cherry’s nose, grandma? 
It looks skinned. Does scarlet fever make peo- 
ple grow tall, or what has happened to Hope? 
My, but you’ve missed it, being quadrupined up 
in the house all the spring! Yes, I’d like to have 
seen the Woods, too, but ’s long as you didn’t 
take me, I had a better time here. Oh, it’s been 


18 


274 


THE LILAC LADY 


jolly. There come Aunt Pen and Elspeth. I 
s’pose they think you’ve kissed me enough for 
one time and you better climb out and go speak 
to my Lilac Lady. She’s been wanting to see 
you all, ’specially Gail and Faith which ain’t 
here. ’ ’ 

They answered her questions as best they 
could — they had enjoyed their brief sojourn in 
the Pine Woods very much, for they had found it 
more than tiresome to be quarantined all those 
beautiful weeks, but Peace’s telephone messages 
and queer adventures had helped brighten many 
an hour. They were particularly interested in 
the Lilac Lady and the little Italian musician, 
and were anxious to meet the big-hearted Aunt 
Pen. So they clambered out of the carriage and 
were properly introduced by the preacher and 
his wife, while Peace fluttered from one to an- 
other of the happy group, too excited to remem- 
ber such things as introductions. 

The lame girl was very sorry to lose this little 
will-o’-wisp neighbor who had brought so much 
sunshine into her life during her short stay at 
the parsonage, but Elizabeth was to visit her 
every day, and the Campbells promised not only 
to lend Peace often to the stone house, but also 
to come with her ; so they said good-bye at length, 
and the curly brown head bobbed out of sight 
down the long avenue, behind prancing Marma- 
duke and Charlemagne. 


THE LILAC LADY 


275 


Peace was glad to get home again, and spent 
the next few days renewing her acquaintance with 
the place, philosophizing with Gussie, Marie and 
Jud, and regaling family and servants alike with 
accounts of her long stay at the parsonage, for 
it seemed to her that she had been away three 
years instead of three months. 

On the third day she suddenly remembered the 
approaching Fourth and the generous bank ac- 
count which she and Allee had kept for just that 
occasion. So she sat down on the stairs to plan 
out the list of fireworks that they should buy 
with their precious hoard, and was busy trying 
to add up a lengthy column of figures, when she 
heard Hope in the hall below say, “ Yes, grand- 
ma, it’s a letter from Gail. They aren’t coming 
home for another week unless you want them 
particularly, because they have discovered a fam- 
ily of eight children out there by the lake who 
have never had a real Fourth of July celebra- 
tion in their lives, and Frances is planning a pic- 
nic for them and wants the girls to help her out.” 

Peace heard no more. Frances was plan- 
ning a gala day for a family of eight children 
who would have no fireworks for the glorious 
Fourth. Why could she and Allee not do the 
same thing for the Home children? There were 
more than fifty little folks in that institution who 
would have no celebration either, unless some 
good fairy provided it. She and Allee would 


276 


THE LILAC LADY 


have more than enough firecrackers for the whole 
family, even if grandpa did not buy a single 
bunch himself, and of course he would do his 
part to make the day a grand success. 

She went in search of Allee, unfolded her new 
plan, and as usual won her ready consent, for the 
smallest sister found this other child’s quaint 
ideas delightfully thrilling, and was always will- 
ing to join her in any escapade, however daring. 

“ I knew you’d say yes,” Peace sighed with 
satisfaction, when they had agreed upon the list 
of firecrackers, caps and torpedoes. “ Now the 
thing of it is, will grandpa be as easy? He has 
such very queer thoughts on some things. Still, 
he’s usu’ly right, too. I’ve found out that it is 
lots better to try to help such folks as the Home 
children ’stead of tramps and hand-organ men, 
who are only fakes or lazy-bones. There was 
Petri, now, — he made loads of money off of Juice- 
harpie and Jocko, but he was mean as dirt to 
both of them. The Home children are different. 
Anything nice you do for them makes them happy 
and they like you all the better. Well, we better 
go see grandpa about it first, so’s he can’t kick 
after we get started real well with our plans. 
Besides, I don’t s’pose Miss Chase would listen 
to us if grandpa doesn’t know what we are up 
to.” 

Hand in hand they descended the stairs to the 
study and knocked, but the weary President was 


THE LILAC LADY 


277 


stretched on his conch fast asleep and did not 
hear their gentle tapping. 

“ He’s here, I know,” Peace declared. “ I 
saw him when he went in, and he told grandma 
that he should he home the rest of the day.” 

“ P’raps he’s upstairs in his room.” 

“ But he ain’t, I tell you ! Didn’t we just come 
from upstairs? We’d have heard him moving 
about if he’d been up there.” 

“ Maybe he’s asleep.” 

“I’m going to see.” 

Cautiously she opened the door a little crack 
and peeped in. The west window curtains were 
drawn and the room was very dim, but after a few 
rapid blinks, Peace became accustomed to the sub- 
dued light, and saw the long figure lying on the 
davenport beside the fireplace, now filled with 
summer flowers. 

“ There he is,” she whispered triumphantly, 
and pushing the door further ajar, she stepped 
across the threshold. 

“ Oh, we mustn’t ’sturb him! ” protested 
Allee, holding back; but Peace serenely assured 
her, “ I ain’t going to touch him. I’m just going 
to stay till he wakes up. Are you coming? ” 

Allee followed, still a little reluctant, and the 
door closed noiselessly behind them. With care- 
ful hands, they drew up a long Eoman chair in 
front of the couch, and sat down together to 
await the President’s awakening. The room was 


278 


THE LILAC LADY 


almost gloomy in its dimness, and so quiet that 
they could hear their own breathing. But not an- 
other sound broke the silence, save the ticking 
of the little French clock on the mantel, which 
drove Peace almost to distraction. Then she 
chanced to remember a discussion she had heard 
a long time before, and settling herself with el- 
bows on her knees and her chin in her hands, she 
fixed her somber eyes full upon the sleeping face 
before her, and stared with all her might. 

11 Look at him,” she commanded Allee in a 
stage whisper. 

“ What for? ” 

“ Just ’cause. Glare for all you’re worth! ” 

“ But why? ” 

“ I’ll tell you byme-by.” 

So dutiful Allee 4 4 glared for all she was 
worth,” and soon the sleeper grew restless. Then 
he opened his eyes. 

“ We did it! ” crowed Peace shrilly, spatting 
her hands together so suddenly that he jumped. 

“ Did what, you young jackanapes? ’’ he 
growled, rubbing his sleepy eyes, a trifle vexed at 
having been disturbed before his nap was out. 

“ Woke you up with just looking at you! We 
never touched you at all — just glared and glow- 
ered as hard as ever we could, and you woke up 
like Faith said you would.” 

“ Faith? Did she send you here to wake me 
up? Have she and Gail come home? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


279 


“ Oh, no, they ain’t coming till after the 
Fourth. They’re going to stay and help Frances 
celebrate a family of eight children which have 
never had any fireworks in all their lives. That’s 
what we came to see you about, but you were 
asleep and we got tired of waiting, so we tried 
to see if we could stare you awake, like the girls 
said folks could do if they looked long and hard 
enough. It worked. ’ ’ 

6 i Something did,” he smiled grimly. “ Was it 
so important that you had to tell it immediately? 
Couldn’t it have kept until dinner hour? ” 

“ You and grandma are invited out for dinner 
this evening, and anyway, we wanted to have a 
private conflab with you all by yourself before we 
told the others our plan.” 

“ Plan? Another plan! My sakes, Peace, 
where do you keep them all? ” 

The round, eager face grew long. It wasn’t 
like grandpa to make fun of her. What could 
be the matter? 

“ I guess you’re not int ’rested,” she said in 
heavy disappointment. “ Come, Allee, we better 
be going.” 

“ Indeed you better not! ” he cried, thoroughly 
aroused by her look and tone, and remembering 
that she was unaccountably sensitive to the moods 
of her loved ones. u I won’t tease you another 
speck. Come and tell grandpa what it is now 
that you want me to help with.” 


280 


THE LILAC LADY 


“ We don’t want your help at all,” she an- 
swered gravely, letting him draw her down to one 
knee, while he enthroned Allee on the other. i ‘ All 
you’ve got to do is say yes.” 

Knowing from experience what wild-cat 
schemes were often evolved by that tireless brain, 
he cautiously replied, “ * Yes’ is an easy word to 
speak, girlies, but sometimes 1 no’ is wisest, even 
if it is hard to learn.” 

“ Oh, I think you will like this plan, grandpa.” 
Peace was warming up to the subject. “ It 
hasn’t anything to do with tramps or beggars, 
and I don’t want to give away any more of my 
clo’es — ’nless p’raps that white apron to Lottie, 
’cause she likes it so well. This is about the 
Home children. You know our Fourth of July 
money? ” 

“ Did you think I had forgotten that? ” In- 
wardly he was shaking with merriment. He never 
recalled the dedication of the flag room without 
wanting to shout. 

“ No, but I did think maybe it had skipped 
your mind just for a minute.” 

“ Well, it hasn’t. What does your Fourth of 
July money have to do with the Home children 
and white aprons? ” 

“ White aprons ain’t in it — only that one I 
should like to give Lottie, but that can be any day. 
What we want to do is share our firecrackers 
with the Home children, ’cause the Lady Boards 


THE LILAC LADY 


281 


don’t allow for such, things in raising money to 
take care of the Home, and so the children won’t 
have any to celebrate with, ’nless their fathers 
bring them a few, and mostly the fathers are too 
hard up for that. Allee and me have dollars and 
dollars in our bank just to cluttervate our love 
of country with, and we thought this would be a 
splendid chance to — ” 

“ Spread the d’sease,” finished Allee, as Peace 
paused for want of words to express her ideas. 

“ It ain’t a disease , Allee Greenfield! To make 
’em happy — that’s what I meant to say.” 
u A very worthy object, my dear.” 

“ Then you like it and won’t kick? ” 

“ If you have considered the matter carefully 
and want to share your Fourth of July with the 
Home children, I am perfectly willing, girlies, 
and will do all I can to help you succeed.” 

“ That’s what we wanted to know, grandpa,” 
she cried gleefully. “ You’ll have all kinds of 
chances to help, too, ’cause I’ve just thought of 
ice-cream and watermelon — if they are ripe by 
that time — and ice-cream anyway, with a nice 
picnic dinner to go with the firecrackers and 
Rowing candles. Some of ’em have never had but 
two or three dishes of ice-cream in all their lives. 
Think how tickled they will be ! P’raps my Lilac 
Lady will invite them all over to her house to 
celebrate, ’cause it always seems so much nicer to 
go away somewhere for a picnic, even if ’tis only 


282 


THE LILAC LADY 


a few blocks. And the stone house has great wide 
lawns, bigger’n ours, though I like ours best on 
account of the river, even if we haven’t all the 
lovely flowers which Hicks has planted in his 
gardens. ’ ’ 

Thoughtfully the President lifted the shade 
behind the couch and looked out across the 
smooth velvet turf, sloping gently to the river 
bank in one long, even stretch, broken by an occa- 
sional posy-bed, and liberally dotted with giant 
oaks and stately lindens. It was an ideal spot for 
a picnic or lawn social such as Peace had de- 
scribed ; and J apanese lanterns suspended among 
the branches and hung about the wide verandas 
would make it a veritable fairyland for the little 
folks of the Home, whose gala days were so few 
and far between. 

Unconsciously he spoke aloud: “ The mis’es 
would enjoy it as much as the rest; that is the 
beauty of it.” 

“ What are you talking about, grandpa? ” 
cried the children, amazed at the remark which 
seemed to have no bearing whatever on the 
subject. 

“ Did I speak? ” he asked sheepishly. “ I was 
just wondering how 'they would enjoy coming 
here for their celebration instead of going to the 
stone house — ” 

“ Oh, grandpa! That would be splendid! How 
did it happen that I never thought of it myself ? 9 9 


THE LILAC LADY 


283 


Peace exclaimed in comical surprise. “ We’ll 
ask Saint Elspeth and John and my Lilac Lady 
and Aunt Pen to come and help. Hicks took her 
to church for Children’s Sunday. Don’t you 
s ’pose he could bring her down here, even if it is 
three miles? ” 

‘ 1 If she will come, dear, we will find a way of 
bringing her,” he promised, drawing the little 
girls closer to him as if to shield them from such 
sorrow as had darkened that other young life. 

“ And that will mean Juiceharpie and Glen 
will come, too,” murmured Allee, who was much 
charmed with these two little gentlemen, partic- 
ularly with the Italian waif, whose strange his- 
tory still seemed like a story-book tale to her. 

“ Yes, the children will come, too, of course, 
and we will even borrow the cook and Hicks, if 
the Lilac Lady will lend them. Do you suppose 
she will? ” 

“ Let’s go and see this very minute,” proposed 
Peace. “ The Fourth is too near already to let 
it get any closer before we find out about these 
things. And we’ve still to see Miss Chase about 
the Home folks coming, you know.” 

Thoroughly interested now in her project, the 
President drew forth his watch, glanced at the 
hour, and rang for Jud to harness the horses. 

Of course Miss Chase accepted the invitation 
at once, and the Home children were jubilant. The 
little parsonage family was equally charmed with 


284 


THE LILAC LADY 


the plan and agreed to help it along all they could. 
But at the stone house, when the matter was ex- 
plained, it quite took Aunt Pen’s breath away, 
and for a moment even the Lilac Lady looked as 
if she were about to refuse. But Giuseppe was 
radiant, and seizing his beloved violin, he capered 
about the white-faced invalid, crying in delight, 
“ An’ I feedle an’ ma angel seeng. Oh, eet be 
heaven! ” 

Perhaps it was his happy face, perhaps it was 
Peace ’s wistful entreaty, but at any rate, the lame 
girl suddenly smiled up at the President beside 
her and answered heartily, “ Tell Mrs. Campbell 
we shall all be there to help her if the day is 
clear, and it surely must be when the happiness 
of so many people depends upon it . 9 9 

The day was clear and delightfully cool. Jud 
had accomplished wonders with flags, bunting 
and lanterns, and the place looked even more like 
the haunts of fairies than the girls had dared 
dream. Rustic benches and porch chairs were 
scattered about under the trees, two immense 
hammocks hung on the wide veranda, and a 
strong swing had been fastened among the 
branches of the tallest oak. The barn chamber, 
which Peace had planned on having for a play- 
house, was swept and scrubbed, furbished up with 
old furniture from the garret, and stocked with 
toys of all sorts, that the children who might not 
care for games all day could find other amuse- 


THE LILAC LADY 


285 


ment to fill the hours. The boat-house, too, was 
put in order and decorated with ferns and flow- 
ers, for Hope was to preside here behind great 
jars of lemonade and frappe, and it proved to 
be a very popular resort all day long. It is sur- 
prising how thirsty one does get at a picnic! 

Early in the morning, Hicks brought the 
preacher’s family, Aunt Pen and his young mis- 
tress in the great red automobile, which was now 
used so seldom that Peace had not even discov- 
ered its existence; but when she saw it, she let 
out a whoop of surprise that startled the rest of 
the household, and dashed down the driveway to 
meet it, screaming shrilly, 11 When you’ve 
dumped out that load, Hicks, you better begin 
going after the Home children. It will take Duke 
and Charley a long time to bring them here 
alone; and besides, I’ll bet none of the boys and 
girls there have ever ridden in an auto yet. I 
know I haven’t.” 

“ That is a good idea, Peace,” said the lame 
girl happily. “ I never would have thought of 
it. Those who drive down in the carriage can go 
home in the auto, so they will all get a ride. J ust 
put the baskets and traps on that table, Hicks, 
and start as soon as possible.” 

An hour later all the guests had assembled, 
and the day’s program was begun. Of course 
there were some mishaps. Was there ever a picnic 
without them? But no one was badly hurt. It 


286 


THE LILAC LADY 


was Giuseppe’s first celebration of Independence 
Day with gunpowder and torpedoes, and in his 
excitement and delight at the noise he was making, 
he thoughtlessly thrust a stump of burning punk 
into his trousers’ pocket along with a bunch of 
firecrackers, and would have been seriously 
burned, no doubt, had not Cherry promptly 
turned the hose on him. As it was, he was nearly 
drowned, and very much frightened, but soon re- 
covered from the shock, and returned with energy 
to his crackers again. 

Lottie fell through the hay-mow in the barn, 
trying to escape her pursuer in a lively game of 
tag. George tumbled into the river and was res- 
cued just in time. Tony got hit by the swing- 
board and lost one tooth as a result. Allee sat 
down in a tub of lemonade, and Peace toppled out 
of a tree into a trayful of ice-cream which Jud 
had just dished up. But these were mere trifles, 
swallowed up in the greater events of the day — 
the boisterous games on the smooth lawn, the 
picnic dinner under the trees, the beautiful music 
made by the lame girl and the little songbird of 
Italy; the destruction of the sham fort built by 
the dignified doctor and sedate young minister; 
the row on the river in the late afternoon; the 
gorgeous beauty of the place when the lanterns 
were lighted at dusk; and, fitting climax of that 
wonderful day, the brilliant display of fireworks 
which Jud set off when finally darkness had fallen 
over the land. 


THE LILAC LADY 


287 


But like all happy days, this Fourth of July 
came to an end at last, the guests departed, and 
Peace, walking slowly up the path from the gate, 
felt suddenly tired. Slipping her hand into the 
doctor’s big one, she sighed, “ Well, it’s all over 
with! Our flag room money has gone up in 
smoke and down in ice-cream.” 

“ Are you sorry? ” asked the President, a 
little surprised at her long-drawn sigh and tone 
of regret. 

“ Oh, no, I ain’t sorry for that part of it. I’m 
sorry the day is gone. That’s the trouble with 
having a good time. It always comes to an end.” 

“ But the memory of it still lives. Think how 
many hearts you have made happy today.” 

“ Yes, that’s so,” she answered, brightening 
visibly; “ and the best of it is, there’s at least 
one more patriarch. Juiceharpie has always 
been an Italian till today, but after this he ’s going 
to be an American. The firecrackers did it.” 
















CHAPTER XV 


PEACE GIVES THE LILAC LADY AN IDEA 

The Home Missionary Society of the South 
Avenue Church was holding its monthly meeting 
in the Campbell parlors, and Peace, feeling very 
forlorn and left out, because grandma had sug- 
gested that she better join the sisters in the barn 
play-house, wandered down to the gate and stood 
looking up the street in search of something to 
occupy her attention. She was tired of playing 
games in the barn, she had read the latest St. 
Nicholas from cover to cover, and the postman 
had not yet brought the Youths Companion, al- 
though this was the regular day for it. Anyway, 
she didn’t care to read. She would rather stay 
and listen to what the women in the house were 
talking about, but if grandma did not want her, 
she certainly should not bother them with her 
presence. Likely the meeting would be very dry ; 
it usually was when Mrs. Roberts stayed away, 
and she had not put in appearance yet. 

Grandma had half promised that she might 
visit the Lilac Lady that afternoon, but for some 
reason had changed her mind and put off the 
visit until the morrow. Ho, hum! What was a 
289 


19 


290 


THE LILAC LADY 


small girl to do to amuse herself this warm day, 
when she had already done everything she could 
think of, and had been forbidden to go where 
she most wanted to go? 

Slowly she unlatched the gate and strolled 
down the avenue, swinging her white sunbonnet 
by one string, and whistling plaintively under 
her breath. The wide street, shaded by immense 
oaks and maples, felt deliciously cool and rest- 
ful, but it was also very quiet, and Peace had 
wandered several blocks without meeting a soul, 
when without warning she stumbled over two 
mites of tots, almost hidden in the rank grass and 
weeds in front of a ragged-looking unkempt little 
cabin of a house, which in its better days had evi- 
dently been used for a barn. The children were 
as much surprised as Peace, and after one fright- 
ened glance at the intruder, they both buried 
their heads in their patched aprons and cowered 
still lower among the weeds. But from the fleet- 
ing glimpse Peace had caught of the little faces, 
she knew they had been crying, and her first 
thought was, “ They are lost.” 

Impulsively she kneeled on the walk beside 
them and coaxingly asked, “ What is the trouble, 
little girls? Have you run away? ” 

“ No, we ain’t! ” retorted the older child, lift- 
ing a streaked, tear-stained face to eye her ques- 
tioner indignantly. “ We ain’t girls, either! I 
am, but he ain’t! ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


291 


“ Oh,” murmured Peace, much abashed by her 
fierce reception, “ I took him for a girl on account 
of his clo’es. He’s wearing dresses.” 

“ He ain’t old enough for pants. He’s only 
two.” 

“ Oh, mercy! He’s lots bigger than Glen. But 
then Glen won’t be two until next January.” 

“ Is Glen your brother? ” asked the other girl, 
somewhat mollified by the friendliness of the 
stranger’s voice. 

“ No, he’s the minister’s little boy which we 
used to have in Parker where we lived ’fore we 
came here. What’s your baby’s name? ” 

“ Rivers.” 

“ His first name, I mean.” 

“ That’s his first name. Rivers Dillon, and 
I’m Fern.” 

“ Oh! They’re as bad as ours, ain’t they? 
I’m always running up against horrid names. 
Gail says it’s ’cause I am always looking for 
them — ” 

“ Our names ain’t horrid! ” Fern Dillon 
bounced off the grass like an angry hornet, then 
collapsed beside the baby brother, who evidently 
was not given much to talking, for he had not 
said a word, but simply stared in round-eyed 
surprise at the pretty stranger child. “ Oh, dear, 
everybody is so mean! ” 

“ Fern, what have I done? I didn’t mean to 
be hateful,” cried Peace remorsefully. “ Please, 


292 


THE LILAC LADY 


I’m sorry I’ve made you mad. Don’t mind any- 
thing I said. I’ve always hated my own name 
so bad that I am always glad when I can find 
a worse one. That is all I meant.” 

Strange to say, Fern’s wrath was at once ap- 
peased, in spite of the explanation, and she 
smiled faintly as she brushed away the fresh 
tears. “ I thought you was going to be just like 
Mrs. Burnett,” she explained. “ She’s always 
scolding mamma ’cause she won’t put Rivers 
and me in a Home — ” 

a In a Home ? ” cried Peace in horrified ac- 
cents. “ What for? ” 

“ So’s she can get more work to do. Lots of 
people won’t give her their washing ’cause she 
has to take both of us with her, and folks think 
three is too many to feed, I guess.” 

“ Is your papa dead? ” 

“ He — he’s gone. Mabel Cartwell says he’s in 
jail,” her voice dropped to an awed whisper; 
“ but when I asked mamma, she just cried and 
cried. Now she’s sick and they are going to take 
her to a hospital, and I don’t know what Rivers 
and me ’ll do. Mrs. Burnett says of course we 
can’t go with her, ’cause there ain’t any sickness 
the matter with us, and — and — oh, we can’t stay 
with her! She shakes Rivers for everything he 
touches. Oh dear, oh dear! ” 

i i Have they — taken your mamma — away 
yet? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


293 


“ No, she’s in there — ” 

“ In that barn? ” 

“ That’s where we live since papa — went 
away. ’ ’ 

“I’m going to ask her if you can’t go home 
with me. Grandma will know — ” 

“ You mustn’t bother mamma,” cried Fern, 
clutching Peace about the ankles as she started 
toward the sagging door of the ramshackle old 
house. “ Mrs. Burnett will chase you out with 
the broom like she did us. And ’sides, mamma 
won’t know you. She doesn’t even know Rivers 
and me — her own little children.” 

Peace pondered. Here was an unlooked-for 
predicament. Would she be doing wrong if she 
took the brother and sister away without saying 
anything to the mother who did not know her 
own children any longer? She might speak to 
Mrs. Burnett, but how about that broomstick? 
For a moment she stood irresolute, scratching 
her head thoughtfully. Then with characteristic 
energy and decision, she grabbed Rivers with one 
hand and Fern with the other, and trotted off 
down the street, saying briefly, u I’m going to 
show you to grandma. She will know what to 
do.” 

“ Will you bring us back again? ” 

“ Course! You don’t think I am a kidnapper, 
do you? That’s what Mittie Cole called me when 
I thought I was going to adopt the twins that 


294 


THE LILAC LADY 


were only runaways. Mittie got to like me after- 
wards, though.” 

“ I like you now.” 

“ Of course. Most folks do, but it takes a 
longer time with some to make up their minds. 
I’m glad you are quick at d’ciding. We turn 
this corner.” 

Hurrying them along as fast as Rivers ’ short 
legs could toddle, she at length reached the big, 
old-fashioned house, and burst in upon the Mis- 
sionary Meeting with a torrent of jumbled expla- 
nation. 

“ Here’s two folks that need home missionary- 
ing if anybody does. Their mother is so sick she 
doesn’t know people any more, and the father is 
either in jail or heaven. Mrs. Burnett chases ’em 
out of the house with the broomstick, and I bor- 
rowed them to show you just how ragged and 
dirty they really are, so’s you will know I ain’t 
got hold of a fake mistake again. They live in 
a horrid little barn of a house, quite a piece 
from here, and the hospital is coming after the 
mother any time. They won’t take Fern and 
Rivers, of course, ’cause they are both well, but 
I thought likely Mrs. Burnett might begin to use 
the broomstick again if the children were left 
with her, so I brought ’em along with me until 
you could decide what to do with them. They 
don’t want to go to a Home, and I don’t want 
them to, either.” Her breath gave out, and the 


THE LILAC LADY 


295 


astonished ladies recovered their poise suffi- 
ciently to ask questions until the whole pitiful 
tale had been unravelled. 

“ We’ll send a committee at once to investi- 
gate/ ’ proposed the fat secretary, whom Peace 
disliked for no reason whatever. 

“ Then send somebody who’s got a heart,” 
suggested the little maid. “ This is a truly sick 
woman which needs help. I’ll show you the place. 
Pern, you and Rivers stay here with grandma till 
I get back. Ladies, who are the committee! ” 

Spurred on by Peace’s enthusiastic leadership, 
the society hastily appointed a committee, and 
they departed on their errand of mercy. The 
house was even more squalid than Peace had pic- 
tured it, and the woman’s case more desperate. 
An hour later a subdued, sympathetic trio of 
ladies, with Peace in tow, returned to the Camp- 
bell residence with their report. 

“It is worse than we expected,” said the 
chairman in a voice that trembled in spite of her 
efforts to speak naturally. “ The father is in — 
Stillwater. Embezzlement. The mother, desti- 
tute, without relatives or friends, naturally a 
frail little woman, and now ill with typhoid, 
brought on by overwork and anxiety. These two 
children dependent upon her, and none of the 
neighbors really situated so they can take care 
of them. We secured a bed in Danbury Hospital 
for the mother, and told the authorities that we 


296 


THE LILAC LADY 


would be responsible for the babies. We simply 
could not think of leaving them there to be buf- 
feted about by unwilling neighbors — no telling 
how long the mother will be unable to take care 
of them, if she ever is again. Now, the question 
is, what shall we do with these two tots? ” 

Immediately there was a buzz of comment, and 
an avalanche of theory and advice began to flow 
from fifty tongues. 

Peace, interested in the controversy, had been 
banished to the dining-room to amuse Rivers, 
who had developed an unlimited propensity for 
mischief-making since his arrival at the big 
house, but through the open door she caught bits 
of the conversation, and her heart beat quick 
with fear. 

“ They are trying to passle Fern and Rivers 
off among different families,’ ’ she said with bated 
breath. ‘ i What a shame that would be ! Mr. 
Dillon in Stillwater, the mother in Danbury Hos- 
pital, Fern with Mrs. York, and Rivers at the 
Weston’s. Oh, they mustn’t part Fern from her 
baby! They can’t get along without each other. 
Ain’t it too bad we don’t have a Home around 
here like they’ve got in Kentucky? Why didn’t 
I think of that before? ” 

She gathered Fern and Rivers under her wing 
once more, and noiselessly departed from the 
house by way of the kitchen. 

“ Where are we going this time? Home? ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


297 


questioned Fern, loath to leave the great house 
so full of beautiful things for one to admire. 

“ Not yet. I’ve just got a think. I b’lieve I 
know a lady which ’ll take you both till your 
mother gets well. She’s lame herself, but Aunt 
Pen isn’t, and they both love children. You’ll 
have to ride on the cars. Come on, don’t be 
afraid. I’ve done it lots of times and I never 
get lost.” 

Somewhat reluctantly, Fern allowed herself 
and brother to be lifted onto the car by the big 
conductor, who evidently knew Peace, for he 
greeted her with a cheery shout, “ Hello, my 
hearty! Going to see your Lilac Lady again? ” 

“ Yes,” Peace answered promptly. “ I’ve got 
another bunch of orphans — that is, they will be 
until their mother gets well and the father comes 
back, if he can. ’ ’ She remembered at that moment 
that she did not yet understand what had actually 
happened to the breadwinner of this unfortunate 
family. “ And I knew my Lilac Lady would be 
glad to take care of them for a little while, so’s 
they wouldn’t have to be sep ’rated.” 

With that, she ushered the children to seats 
inside the moving car, and they were quickly 
whirled away to the corner where stood Teeter’s 
Pharmacy. Here they were helped off by the 
genial conductor, and Peace led the way up the 
hill to the beautiful stone house which could be 
plainly seen from the roadway now, because the 


298 


THE LILAC LADY 


thick cedar hedges had all been cut down, and 
only tall iron palings enclosed the lovely gardens. 

Under her favorite oak by the lilac hedge lay 
the lame girl in her prison-chair, looking whiter 
and frailer than ever before, and Peace stopped 
in the midst of a rapturous kiss to ask fearfully, 
“ Have you been sick again? ” 

“ No, dear,” smiled the marble lips. “I am 
a little tired these days, but perfectly well. Whom 
have you here? ” 

“ Fern and Rivers Dillon. Their mother is 
dreadfully sick with tryfoid fever and their 
father is in — well, it’s either a jail or a grave- 
yard. I found them crying ’cause Mrs. Burnett 
had driven them out of the house with the broom- 
stick, and when I took them home to the lady 
missionaries who are meeting at our house this 
afternoon, they began planning right away to 
divide them up among some families of our 
church. I couldn’t bear to think of that, so I 
brought them up to you. I knew you’d be glad 
to keep them till the mother gets well, and they 
don’t want to go to the Children’s Home a bit. 
Rivers can’t keep still a minute, but I know how 
he feels. It’s the same way with me. At first I 
couldn’t see how any mother would name her 
little boy such a name as that, but now I know. 
He upset three vases of flowers in the reception 
hall, and spilled a glass of frappe down his dress 
when I tried to give him some to drink, and pulled 


THE LILAC LADY 


299 


over the bird-cage, so’s the water was all spilled, 
and stepped into the dog’s drinking trough at 
the back door while I was trying to get them out 
of the house without the ladies seeing me. He 
makes rivers out of every bit of water he comes 
near.” 

44 Doesn’t your grandmother know where you 
have gone? ” asked the invalid in surprise, not 
half understanding what Peace was trying to 
tell her. 

4 ‘ Why, no ! She ’s one of the missionaries her- 
self. She might think I ought to let her s’ciety 
look after these children as long as they’ve got 
hold of the mother already; but I — they’d be 
sep ’rated as sure as fits, and — just look how 
teenty Rivers is to be taken away from all his 
folks at once.” 

44 I don’t want him tookened away,” Fern 
spoke up. 4 4 Mamma told me to stay with him all 
the time, and I said I would. He can’t talk much 
yet and there ain’t anybody else can tell what he 
wants, now that mamma is sick.” 

44 Come here, dear.” The lame girl held out 
her thin, blue-veined hands, and little, homeless 
Fern ran to her with a desolate cry. 

Peace was satisfied, and dropping down cross- 
legged in the grass at their feet, she remarked 
thoughtfully, 44 I had to bring them here, you see. 
Our house is full already, and grandpa says 
grandma has all she can ’tend to with the six 


300 


THE LILAC LADY 


of us. The parsonage is too small to hold any 
more, and besides, Saint John is away on his 
vacation, so the house is shut up for a few days. 
I knew Aunt Pen could mother a dozen, and I 
knew you’d want her to if she got the chance, so 
I brought ’em along. 

“ Isn’t it too bad there isn’t a nice Children’s 
Home in this state like there is in Kentucky or 
some place down South, where one lady has forty 
daughters? They ain’t any of ’em her very own. 
She’s really just the matron of the Home, like 
Miss Chase is of our Children’s Home, only they 
don’t call the place a Home. The lady is just 
like a real mother to them, and she won’t let any 
of her girls be adopted away from her. She just 
takes care of them until they are old enough to 
look out for themselves or get a husband to look 
out for them. Then she takes some more in their 
place and keeps on that way. And they just 
love her to pieces. They wear nice clothes and 
she teaches ’em music and manners and how to 
keep house and makes useful wives out of them. 
Oh, that’s the kind of a Home I’d like to have 
here! Then Lottie -could live there ’stead of 
being sent to the ’sylum.” 

“ Lottie sent to the asylum? Why, what do 
you mean, Peace? ” cried the startled invalid, 
sitting almost upright in her chair. 

“ Haven’t you heard? ” It was Peace’s turn 
to look surprised. 


THE LILAC LADY 


301 


“ Not a word of that sort.” 

“ Why, you know Lottie is a norphan, and 
when she was a baby somebody adopted her, but 
her new mother died last winter, and her new 
father put her in the Home ’cause he couldn’t 
take care of her himself. Now he’s been killed 
on the railroad, and his people don’t want to be 
bothered with her, so she’s to be sent to a Nor- 
phan ’Sylum, ’cause the Home takes only chil- 
dren who have somebody who will look after them 
a little. Lottie feels dreadfully bad and has 
’most cried her eyes out already. I couldn’t get 
her even to smile when I was up there this week. 
She is going to leave next Wednesday.” 

For a long moment the lame girl lay in deep 
thought, still holding Fern’s chubby hand in 
hers, though she had evidently forgotten all 
about the little stranger children in her concern 
for the friendless orphan, Lottie. When she 
spoke, she asked absently, “ What was that you 
were telling me about the Kentucky lady? Where 
did you hear about it? ” 

“ That girls’ Home in Kentucky? Oh, grandma 
was reading about it in Blank’s Magazine the 
other day, and grandpa said that’s the way all 
children’s Homes ought to be carried out. Then 
the boys and girls would be happier and grow up 
into better men and women. That’s what I think, 
too.” 

“ We take Blank’s Magazine,” said the lame 


302 


THE LILAC LADY 


girl irrelevantly. 4 4 Here comes Aunt Pen. We 
must tell her about Fern and Rivers, and she will 
telephone the ladies that they are safe with us. 
Poor little waifs ! You are home now — until the 
dear mother is able to care for you again. Then 
weTl see.” 

That was the beginning of it, but the next time 
Peace visited the Lilac Lady, she found a crew 
of noisy carpenters at work on the stone house, 
and in answer to her surprised questions, the 
invalid said, “ This is to be an Orphan Asylum, 
dear. We shall not call it by that ugly name, 
but that is what it is really to be, and we have 
already two real orphans, not counting Fern and 
Rivers, who may be here for only a few weeks or 
months.” 

“ Who are the orphans? ” 

“ Giuseppe and Lottie.” 

“ Oh, my Lilac Lady! How did you ever think 
of such a splendid plan? ” 

“ I didn’t, Peace. It was you.” 

“ Me? ” 

“ Yes, dear. When you told me about that 
Kentucky Home which all the children love, I 
wondered why Aunt Pen would not make a good 
mother for such a place in this state, and when 
I asked her, she was so happy! ” 

*“ But you? Where will you live if you turn 
your lovely house into a norphan ’sylum? ” 

“ Right here — till the time comes to go home. 
It won’t be long now, but I shall be content if I 


THE LILAC LADY 


303 


know the fortune which failed to make me happy 
is bringing joy and sunshine into the lives of 
scores of homeless children — hundreds in time, 
perhaps — and is giving them the education and 
self-reliance and refinement and love which will 
make them noble citizens of a noble country.” 

Peace only vaguely understood her words, hut 
it was clear to her that the stone mansion was to 
become a home nest now for helpless little ones 
whose own parents had been taken from them, 
and the thought that she had had even a small 
share in bringing to pass this splendid plan sent 
a thrill of joy singing through her heart. Hug- 
ging her knees together with both lithe brown 
arms, she puckered her lips and began to whistle 
the refrain: 

“ ‘Sca-atter sunshine 

All along the wa-ay; 

Cheer and bless and bri-ighten 
Every passing da-ay/ ” 

The lame girl joined in with her rich, sweet 
tones, and they sang it through to the end. Then 
as silence once more fell upon them, the young 
mistress of the place dropped her waxen hand 
lightly upon the brown curls resting against the 
arm of her chair, and said musingly, “ That is 
to be the motto of our Home, dear. The song has 
brought me more happiness than any other thing 
in my life, I think. I want to pass it on.” 

“ And let me help,” eagerly put in Peace. 



CHAPTER XVI 


THE LILAC LADY FALLS ASLEEP 

So the summer swept rapidly on. The remod- 
elled stone mansion was finished at last and dain- 
tily furnished to meet every requirement. There 
were school-rooms and work-rooms and play- 
rooms. There were parlors and pianos and 
piazzas. There were long windows and wide 
doors everywhere. The whole place was filled 
with sunshine and fresh air. Rare flowers and 
ferns from the conservatory peeped out from 
every corner; the polished floors were covered 
with thick, soft carpets ; easy chairs and tempting 
couches were harmoniously arranged about the 
rooms. A wing of the basement was converted 
into a gymnasium with a brave array of dumb- 
bells, Indian clubs, trapezes and ladders. The 
great house was complete in every detail, and all 
Martindale was interested in this unique Home 
which the Lilac Lady was founding. But, though 
the oilers to help were many, the lame girl re- 
fused them all and pushed the work with untiring 
energy. 

Lottie had joined the three waifs already in the 
Palace Beautiful, as the Greenfield girls called 
305 


20 


306 


THE LILAC LADY 


it, although its real name was to be Oak Knoll; 
and one other little orphan maid had slipped in 
through the open doors. Aunt Pen had been per- 
suaded to take a flying trip to the southern Home 
which Peace had so enthusiastically described, 
and returned fired with zeal for the new work 
which held so many opportunities. Plans were 
discussed, a Board of Directors elected, the busi- 
ness routine adjusted, and everything legalized in 
order that there might be no hitch in proceedings 
after the institution had been opened to the 
public. 

The lame girl developed a surprising business 
ability, and insisted upon looking after all the 
details personally, seeming to grow stronger as 
the work progressed, and she saw her plans near- 
ing completion. Even Aunt Pen was deceived 
by the delicate flush which tinted the once color- 
less cheeks, and the keen, alive look in the deep 
blue eyes; but the girl herself understood, and 
so hurried carpenters and lawyers alike, until at 
length everything was done, and Oak Knoll had 
been formally dedicated and opened for its noble 
work. 

Autumn lingered long that year, cool and calm, 
as if to make up for the fierce heat of the summer 
months. But at last the frosts came and tipped 
every leaf and flower with gorgeous colors; the 
grass grew brown on the hillside; the brilliant 
foliage of the trees fluttered down with every 


THE LILAC LADY 


307 


breath of wind that stirred; and the crisp, hazy 
air was filled with the smell of fall. Then, when 
the chill of winter seemed upon them, the warm 
days of Indian Summer again held it in check 
and revived the fading flowers for one last bloom 
before going to sleep under blankets of ice and 
snow. 

Such a day was it the Sunday following GaiPs 
twentieth birthday; and after dinner had been 
served, the family repaired to the wide veranda 
with books and papers to enjoy the freshness of 
the air and drink in the glories of the autumn 
afternoon, while they read or talked together, 
feeling that this was the last time for many weeks 
that they could sit in this fashion out-of-doors. 

But Peace was restless. There was a subtle 
something in the smell of the hazy atmosphere 
w T hich appealed to her forcefully, and leaving the 
family gathered about the President on the 
piazza, she wandered down the driveway to the 
great bed of chrysanthemums growing in a shel- 
tered nook where the frosts had not yet found 
them, and stood gloating over their splendid 
blossoms. 

“ Chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums, oh, you 
dear chrysanthemums, ’ 9 she hummed to herself, 
then stooped and plucked one long spray, an- 
other, a whole armful, and with shining eyes she 
returned to the porch. 

“ My, what beauties! ” exclaimed Faith, look- 


308 


THE LILAC LADY 


in g up from her book as Peace passed. “ Why 
didn’t you leave them in the garden? They look 
so cheerful growing, now that all the other flow- 
ers are gone.” 

“ Hicks is coming after me this afternoon to 
visit Palace Beautiful, and the Lilac Lady loves 
chrysanthemums . 9 9 

She thrust her head deep into her bouquet, and 
they laughed at the roguish, round face peeping 
from between the great yellow and white balls. 
It was indeed a pretty picture, for both flowers 
and face seemed radiating sunshine. 

The chug-chug of an approaching automobile 
drew their attention to the road, and Allee ex- 
claimed, “ There’s Hicks now! ” 

“ It’s Hicks’ machine, but that ain’t him driv- 
ing,” answered Peace, studying the car slowing 
up in front of the gate. “ Hicks always comes 
up the driveway, too. Why, it’s Saint John and 
Elspeth! ” They waved their hands at the little 
group on the porch, and the doctor walked down 
to the gate to meet the minister, who had leaped 
to the ground from his place at the wheel. 

“ Run, get your hat and jacket, Peace,” called 
Mrs. Campbell, as the child started as if to join 
her friends in the street, so she darted into the 
house for her wraps, impatient to be off in the 
throbbing, red car. She was back in a moment, 
her jacket thrown over one arm and her hat dan- 
gling down her back, but as she leaped onto the 


THE LILAC LADY 


309 


step beside Elizabeth, she was vaguely conscious 
that both the preacher and his wife looked 
strangely exalted, and they greeted her more ten- 
derly and with less boisterous fun than was usual. 
Indeed, Saint John hugged her so tightly that it 
hurt, but she could not rebuke him, because he 
was speaking to the family gathered at the gate, 
and she caught the words, “Only an hour ago. 
We have just come from there.’ ’ 

She wondered a little what they were talking 
about, but before she could ask, the preacher 
sprang to his place, released the wheel, and the 
car leaped forward as if alive, toppling Peace 
into Elizabeth’s arms. When she had righted 
herself, she demanded, “ Where is Glen? ” 

“ We left him with Mrs. Lane.” 

“ That’s queer. Is he sick?” 

“ Oh, no, but we thought it best to leave him 
at the parsonage this time,” she answered evas- 
ively. “ Those are beautiful chrysanthemums 
you have.” 

“ Ain’t they, though? Jud does have the best 
luck with his asters and chrysanthemums. These 
beat Hicks’ all hollow. Where is Hicks? I 
’xpected he’d come for me today. I didn’t know 
Saint John could drive well enough yet.” 

“ Hicks was — busy. So we came.” 

“ I s’pose that’s why you left Glen. You didn’t 
want to take the chances with Saint J ohn driving 
the car. Is that it? ” 


310 


THE LILAC LADY 


Elizabeth smiled faintly. “ No, we never once 
thought of that, Peace. Mrs. Lane offered to stay 
with him, and so we let her.” 

“ Oh! Well, I s’pose I would have too, if I’d 
been you, ’cause ’tain’t often Mrs. Lane makes 
such an offer,” Peace chattered on. “ Allee 
wanted to come today, but grandma said the 
Lilac Lady had asked for only me, so she wouldn’t 
listen to Allee ’s going, too. I should like to 
have had her.” 

“ She can come Tuesday.” 

“ What’s going to happen Tuesday? ” asked 
the child, surprised at having so definite a date 
named. Elizabeth caught her breath sharply, but 
at that moment the auto drew up in front of the 
iron gates, and there stood Aunt Pen on the walk 
waiting for them, smiling her gentle smile of 
welcome, a little sweeter, perhaps, and infinitely 
more tender, for, like Moses, she had just come 
from her Mount of Transfiguration. 

Peace spied her first. “ How is my Lady, my 
Lilac Lady? ” she cried, springing into her arms 
and hugging her warmly. “ It’s been so long 
since I’ve seen her! Is she lots better, Aunt 
Pen? ” 

“ She is perfectly well now, darling,” the wo- 
man answered, closing her fingers tightly over 
the little brown hand in her own, and leading the 
way up the path to the house. 

“ She’s not under the trees, and — ” 


THE LILAC LADY 


311 


u It is November, childie. Have you forgot- 
ten? ” interrupted Elizabeth. 

“ So it is! Winter is ’most here. But look at 
the lovely chrysanthemums I’ve brought her. 
It isn’t too cold for them yet. Won’t she be 
pleased? ” 

“I am sure she will,” smiled Aunt Pen, and 
involuntarily she lifted her eyes to the clear blue 
sky above. 

The hall, as they entered its dim coolness, was 
deserted, and though Peace looked inquiringly 
about her for her small playmates who usually 
rushed eagerly to meet her, not one was in sight. 
From the rooms above, however, floated the sweet 
strains of Giuseppe’s violin and the unrestrained, 
riotous melody of the lame girl’s pet canary, and 
Peace skipped lightly up the wide stairway, eager 
to greet each member of this happy family. 

The door of the invalid’s chamber stood open, 
and beside the window, shaded by the great oak, 
still hung with autumn colors, lay the beloved 
form of the Lilac Lady among her silken cush- 
ions. She was clad in simple white, with the 
heavy bronze braids trailing across her shoul- 
ders, and the waxen fingers twined in a familiar 
pose upon her breast. A soft smile wreathed the 
colorless lips, but the beautiful blue eyes were 
closed in slumber, and she looked as if she were 
resting after a hard-fought battle. So lovely a 
picture did she present that Peace paused on the 


312 


THE LILAC LADY 


threshold, and the gay words of greeting bubbling 
up to her lips died away in a deep breath of awe. 

The room was flooded with autumn sunshine, 
and banked with the flowers the invalid loved 
best; a plate of luscious fruit stood on the table 
beside the wheel-chair, a late magazine lay open 
on the floor close by, and Gypsy sang deliriously 
from his perch in the big bay window. All this 
Peace saw, and more. The thin fingers clasped 
a knot of the once-despised, bright-faced pansies, 
and a single white one nestled in the red-brown 
waves at the left temple. 

“ Oh,” breathed Peace, scarcely above a whis- 
per, “ isn’t she beautiful? She got tired of 
watching and fell asleep while she was waiting 
for me! ” 

Softly she tiptoed across the thick carpet and 
laid her burden of golden chrysanthemums in 
the arms of the sleeping girl, and once more re- 
peated the words, “ She fell asleep while she was 
waiting for me! My Lilac Lady has fallen 
asleep! ” 

“ Yes,” said Aunt Pen softly. “ ‘He giveth 
His beloved sleep.’ ” 


THE END 



































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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